Silver Lining
by Luna Peachie
Summary: Kent Connolly: mild-mannered handyman and comic book enthusiast in Goodneighbor has found himself at the business end of a Raider's gun. In what he feels are his last moments, Kent thinks about everything that's led up to this point. The Silver Shroud, the Great War, her... All he wanted was to do some good and now he's wondering if it was all worth it. Set before the Great War.
1. Exciting Origin Story Issue!

_Silver Lining_

Exciting Origin Story Issue!

Kent Connolly didn't leave Goodneighbor much. In fact, since he started living there some years ago he hadn't left at all. He had it better there than he had it anywhere else he'd lived since the bombs fell over two hundred years ago. He had never been one to stray from routine or live outside his comfort zone. But the events that had brought him to the current point of being tied up and held prisoner by a gang of raiders in an abandoned hospital he felt were worth reviewing while he had the chance.

Since coming to Goodneighbor, Kent made a meager living as a handyman. Repairing things when needed around town, but mostly in Irma's Memory Den. He spent most of his time there, where he was given steady employment to fix Irma and Dr. Amari's memory loungers whenever they were on the fritz. Where they got them or how they got them to work like they did, he never asked. The repairs were normally pretty simple, so he never asked many questions. The machines broke down with surprising consistency, so Irma let Kent live at the Memory Den so he could be on call. As an added bonus, Irma even let him use the Memory Loungers at no charge.

Of course, Kent should have known this was a stupid idea. Irma was hoping he'd use the ham radio he'd found and repaired to advertise the Memory Den, instead he plays those old Silver Shroud holotapes while fixing up his own personal Memory Lounger. He made a little radio station out of the room he used and had been nursing the idea of bringing the Silver Shroud back, if not to give himself something to look forward to again. He was so enamored by the idea of the Silver Shroud swooping in to save the day like he used to in Kent's comic books and the radio show, he had to at least give this idea a chance. But now, on his knees with his hands tied behind his back and his leg hurting in ways he never imagined, Kent felt this was a good time to reevaluate some things.

Kent thought about the events leading up to this point, as he waited for rescue with Sinjin's boot on his back and a gun to his head. His radio show, his collection of old, moldy comic books, the stack of holotapes sitting in a box that he kept saying he'd repair to play on his radio show, finding the lady from the vault to help him bring the Silver Shroud back to life; just about everything up until now. He ignored the conversations of the gang and thought about everything up until this point. The last time he was in a Memory Lounger, he thought about his most vivid memory. It was the memory he always thought about, even when not in the lounger.

The gang didn't see a lone tear fall from Kent's ghoulish face. He didn't need a memory lounger to remember her face. It haunted him for the last two hundred years, and he knew it would haunt him for another two hundred, provided he didn't go feral by then.

Kent Connolly; mild-mannered repairman, radio host, and comic book enthusiast, thought about the last time he ever felt truly happy in a cruel world that never understood him.

 _ **Friday, September 17**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2077**_

" _Good morning, Boston! It's a lovely day today! Mostly sunny weather, clouds clearing by mid-afternoon, high of 85 degrees. We here at Galaxy News Radio hope everyone will be out and about enjoying the fresh air! You know what would be the best way to enjoy such a cloudless, sunny day? An outing with the family! So don't forget to stock up on plenty of all-American beef hotdogs at your local Super Duper Mart for a picnic with the kids! You know what would really wash those brauts down? An ice cold bottle of Nuka-Cola in the brand new limited edition rocket bottle! Blast off to flavor! Available at any participating Super Duper Mart or Red Rocket Filling Stations across Boston and its suburbs! And be on the lookout for new Nuka Quantum! Coming just in time for Halloween! We'll have today's top headlines in just a few moments, but first, this word from the good people at Corvega…"_

Kent Connolly reached his arm out from his blanket and smashed his hand against his nightstand, hoping one of the things he hit was the radio alarm clock. After knocking down an empty soda bottle, a book, and a half-eaten candy bar from the night before, Kent finally hit the right button and the radio shut off. Kent sat up and scratched his head. His russet brown hair was shaggy and was in desperate need of a trim. He tried to roll under his covers again but the noise outside his window wouldn't let him sleep again.

Finally opening his eyes, Kent looked around his room. It was mostly clean, save for his nightstand and the cluttered closet. He kept all his books and comics in order on his bookshelf, his desk was neat and tidy, and his floor was clean (despite needing to be vacuumed). It was the same room he'd seem every morning for years. He still had a Captain Cosmos poster over his bed.

Kent Connolly lived in an average sized apartment with his older brother, Buster. Buster was a journalist for the Boston Bugle. It was Friday, which meant Buster would probably get off work early that night. It also meant he would still be in "reporter mode", as he called it, when they went out later. Buster and Kent used to share the apartment with their parents before they moved out west, leaving it to them. Buster used what used to be his room as an at-home office while Kent stayed in his bedroom. Kent hadn't had a steady job in years. He used to work at a diner in high school, but his shyness and anxiety never won over the customers. He now worked on-call as a handyman for the apartment building, since he was always good at building things. His gangly physique and skinny arms made him ideal for fishing things out of pipes.

His parents could never figure Kent out. His and Buster's childhood was "uneventfully normal" as he would call it, but Kent always seemed so nervous. He used to stutter a lot, but therapy took care of that. He still stuttered a bit when he was nervous. When it came to socializing, Kent felt all he needed was his brother. Buster was always there for him. When his parents were too busy or whenever they'd force him to another therapy session or another hospital, Buster was always there to make Kent feel better. Buster would save up his allowance and buy Kent a comic book to surprise him whenever he'd come from wherever their parents took Kent to "fix him".

Kent knew his parents meant well, but they were sometimes cold towards him. It felt like they never attempted to get to know him like Buster did. Where Buster was outgoing and "All-American", Kent was quiet and nervous all the time. He'd escape to his books and his daydreams just to get through the days of being mostly ignored at school and home. Kent didn't like to think about his parents. He was happier than he should have been when they told their sons their father had gotten a new job and they were moving out west. Buster convinced their parents to leave them with the apartment, since Kent was still in high school at the time and Buster was finishing college. Until Buster found steady work, their parents sent money for the apartment every month.

Buster, as usual, was in the kitchen at the table. He had a bowl of Sugar Bombs in front of him and a cup of coffee going cold. He was reading the morning edition, as he always did. The radio in the living room adjacent played a song Kent didn't immediately recognize as he went through the doorway. Kent walked to the refrigerator and peered inside the little window.

Routine made both men happy, especially Kent. He didn't like things to be out of order, and he definitely didn't like being out of his comfort zone. At the moment, his comfort zone consisted of only a few places: the apartment and the building it occupied, Hubris Comics on Newbury, and in his chair by the big radio in the living room every Friday night when the latest episode of "The Silver Shroud" would play and tonight was Friday night. He was excited, as he read in the paper that they were starting a new storyline and the Mistress of Mystery was supposed to be returning to the show.

As usual, Kent didn't have any big plans for the day. He normally stayed in the apartment during the day while Buster was at work, just in case someone called and needed something fixed. The only plans he had today were tidying up the living room so it'd be ready that night, rearranging his comic books, and putting together that Sentry Bot model kit he recently got through a catalog.

"Mornin', Buster!" Kent almost shouted as he reached for the milk in the refrigerator. Kent had a light Bostonian accent which, unless one listened closely, they could barely tell was there. Buster shared this accent with him.

Buster looked up from his paper. "Mornin', Kent." He mumbled, putting his coffee mug to his lips. Buster watched as Kent poured himself a bowl of Sugar Bombs and filled the bowl with milk.

Kent sat in the chair opposite his brother and looked down at his cereal. Shortages were happening all over the place, and Kent felt he did something stupid again. While he could barely see any milk in Buster's bowl, Kent nearly flooded his. Kent tried to laugh it off, but felt his chest tighten. "I-I'm happy the milk got delivered today." He said, dipping his spoon in. "With all these t-talks of shortages, I was scared we'd have to go out to the country and h-highjack a cow or somethin'…" Kent tried to make jokes, but he knew they were lame ducks. Buster, polite as he was, still let out a small chuckle.

"Don't worry about the milk, Kenny." Buster said, putting the paper down. Buster always called Kent "Kenny" whenever Kent was feeling bad about himself. They weren't sure why, but it made Kent feel at ease. Maybe it was because it was a way the brothers could show affection for each other. "If we run out, I'll borrow some from Mrs. Glass upstairs. That little girl of hers hates milk and her husband is barely home long enough to eat toast, let alone a bowl of cereal."

Kent liked the Glass family, who lived in one of the nicer apartments a few floors up. Kent sometimes babysat their daughter, Marlene, whenever the rare moment Mr. Glass got home on time to take Mrs. Glass out occurred. Mrs. Glass was always giving the brothers leftovers and she gave Kent cookies as a tip whenever he had to get one of Marlene's toys unstuck from the toilet or sink drain, which happened a lot.

"Oh, Kenny, you got a call from Hubris Comics this morning." Buster said, taking his dishes to the sink. "Your Grognak comic finally arrived, but your issue of 'The Unstoppables' hasn't. The shipment was late from the publisher. Why don't you have them mailed here?"

"It's more expensive to have them mailed from the shop. Besides, I like going to the Comic Shop." Kent wringed his hands under the table so Buster couldn't see. Traveling through the city on the bus made Kent nervous, but neither brother had a car. He normally didn't like to mess with his plans for the day, but he made an exception for his comic books. "Nice people work there. I heard a rumor that they'll be filming a pilot episode for 'The Silver Shroud' there! Justice's Shroud is finally coming to television!"

Buster didn't know how they were going to do that. Hubris Comics was in a big building, but not big enough to shoot anything other than a commercial. Buster decided not to dive into it. When it came to Kent's favorite radio show, there was nothing the creators of said show could do wrong.

To Kent, The Silver Shroud was everything he wasn't but wished he could be. The Shroud was brave, daring, confident, and a hit with the ladies. Kent sat on the edge of his seat whenever there was an episode that featured the Shroud's female counterpart, the Mistress of Mystery. She hadn't gotten her own comic book series yet, but she was one of the main characters in his second favorite comic series "The Unstoppables". It was safe to say Kent Connolly idolized Justice's Shroud.

In those comic books, Kent could feel like a hero without leaving his room. He had adventures across many exotic locales, fought evil, charmed women. Kent liked imagining he was all those things and more whenever he turned the page of a comic book. Buster tried many times to knock Kent out of this mindset, but ultimately gave up. When he had his nose in a comic book or his eyes glued to the computer playing a holotape game he got from an issue of Robco Fun, Kent was at peace. He wasn't panicking or having an anxiety attack, which worried Buster more than the comic book obsession.

"Hey, Kenny, I've got to head into work. Go ahead and get dressed and I'll ride the bus with you." Buster left the kitchen to finish getting ready. Kent did the same. He attempted to comb back his hair, but it was getting too long to do anything practical with it. He wondered if he could get away with putting it in a small ponytail, but he wasn't that adventurous. He didn't want to look like a bum, so he put on his nice red plaid button down short sleeve shirt and his slacks. He hadn't shined his shoes in a while, but his pants were long enough to where no one would notice. He decided to wear a hat today, hoping no one would notice his shaggy hair as well.

Kent met Buster by the door. Buster was wearing a sweater vest and tie over a long sleeve white shirt, despite how warm it was supposed to be today. Kent knew Buster had to look professional for his job and hoped the air conditioning worked in his office. They left their apartment and went for the elevator. As they waited, Buster looked over at his little brother and chuckled. He took off Kent's hat and looked at the shaggy hair underneath.

"Kenny, you need a haircut." Buster laughed. "You better hope we don't run into Mrs. Glass on the way out. She'll have a fit if she sees you looking like that." Buster playfully put Kent's hat back on and waited patiently for the elevator. It was coming from one of the top floors, which meant someone from the nicer apartments upstairs would be on when it stopped for them.

Of course, when the elevator door opened, Mrs. Cheryl Glass stood at the back of the elevator, fiddling through her purse for something. She was alone, so the brothers assumed she had her husband, Arlen, take little Marlene to school. Mrs. Glass looked up when she finally found her compact mirror. "Oh, hello boys!" she shouted as the elevator doors shut. She took one look at Kent, who was an inch or so taller than his older brother, and shook her head. "Kent Connolly, you look a mess! When was the last time you saw a barber?"

Buster chuckled and Kent sank a bit. "How are you doing this morning, Mrs. Glass?" Buster asked, hoping to save Kent from more embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm fine. Arlen took Marlene to school so I wouldn't be late to my hair appointment. I'm in terrible need of a trim." Mrs. Glass looked up from powdering her nose and gave a sharp gaze to Kent. Kent tried to smile and bring his hat down a little more. Mrs. Glass gave a soft titter of laughter and put her compact back in her purse. She had her blonde hair done in what was commonly called an Italian cut and it was looking a bit longer than most women wore it. Kent figured Mr. Glass must like it cut that short or else Mrs. Glass would never show her face outside with it.

Buster looked up at the number dial above the door. "I think you'd look swell with a bouffant, Mrs. Glass." He teased.

Mrs. Glass had a thoughtful look in her eye but shook the idea away. "Oh, you're sweet to say, but Arlen would have a fit if I came home with a bouffant. Though, as late as he gets in and as early as he leaves in the morning, he probably wouldn't notice if I got one. I wish Arlen was around more these days. They have something big going on at his work and it's taking up all his time. Oh, before I forget: Kent, would you mind coming up to my apartment later this afternoon and taking a look at my oven? I tried making a casserole last night and it barely baked at all!"

Kent tried not to laugh. Mrs. Glass tended to get frazzled over the smallest things. Kent figured a housewife has to do something. Kent smiled. "I-I'll take a look, m-ma'am. Just let me know when you get home and I'll be up as soon as I can." Kent swallowed and leaned back.

When the elevator dinged, indicating the ground floor, Mrs. Glass smiled and waved to the two when she disembarked. Unlike the Connolly Brothers, the Glass Family had a car, and it was waiting for Mrs. Glass outside the front of the building.

As the Connolly Brothers waited at the bus stop, Kent wringed his hands some more. It was a disgusting habit and he tried not to do it so much. Buster could tell something was on his mind. "Something bothering you, Kenny?" he asked, glancing down the street to see if the bus was coming.

Kent swallowed hard and tried to find the right words. "So, I went to Old Lady Gladstone's apartment the other night. She was complaining of a rattling sound coming from her vents. It would occur the day they decide to finally do elevator maintenance. So, I hauled the ladder all the way from downstairs, back up the stairs to the fifth floor, come to find out her cat got stuck in the vents again. Took me about an hour to coax the stupid thing out. She didn't pay me much for the job. I think she's going a bit senile, because she tried to give me hard candy as payment again. A-and I was just wondering if m-m-maybe, I mean you don't have to, but y-you see I kind of…well, that's t-to say I…"

Buster chuckled and smiled at his brother. When Kent stuttered, he was nervous about something. Buster knew what Kent was going to ask. Buster liked that Kent was taking steps to be more self-sufficient. He also knew that taking crap jobs from the senile old lady upstairs wasn't exactly a high salary job. But Buster knew the comic book store didn't take payment in cookies and gumballs and Kent had been trying hard to save his money. He also knew Kent had poor impulse control when it came to comic books, collectibles, etc.

"Did you tell the building manager? He can't pay you for the work unless you tell him in your maintenance reports." Buster asked, reaching for his wallet.

"He t-told me not to take jobs from Old Mrs. Gladstone anymore without consulting him f-first. He s-says my time is t-t-too valuable to be wasting on her and that cat. Th-that in the time I waste keeping her from setting the building on fire, I could be fixing things for customers who still have all their marbles. But I wanted to be nice." Kent wringed his hands some more, but stopped when someone else sat down on the bench next to them.

Buster shook his head with a smile and took some money out of his wallet. "Kenny, you keep being nice to that old lady and we'll be eating gumballs and candy bars for dinner. Get yourself a haircut while you're out before Mrs. Glass has a heart attack." Buster handed Kent some cash, which Kent swiftly put in his own pocket before the other bus stop patron could notice. "After you get done with your own errand, do you mind stopping by the corner store and picking up our grocery order? I might have to work late on this article I'm doing and I don't want to come home to you eating cookies for dinner again."

This was a shock to Kent's system. Buster normally picked up the grocery order. He always called it in the night before and picked it up after work on Fridays. Last time Buster tried to help Kent get off his pre-planned schedule ended with them almost getting thrown out of the store. Luckily, Buster was there to defuse the situation before Kent had another panic attack. Buster was always trying to get Kent out into the world and make him more self-reliant. Buster knew he couldn't take care of his little brother forever. Kent had to be able to survive in an uncertain world.

Everything he heard in the newsroom at work scared him. Talks of the Commies having bombs and going toe-to-toe with the US again didn't fill him with hope. Seeing their shell-shocked cousin return from the front lines in Anchorage earlier that year made Buster think about the future. He tried to pass it all off as rumors, but something told him all the rumors he'd been hearing had at least some truth to them. He also didn't have the heart to tell Kent that their application for admission to one of Vault-Tec vaults being built outside the city had been denied.

Not wanting to scare his brother, Buster got together with some coworkers and helped put together their own shelter, in case the big ones did fall. It wasn't as "Prepared for the Future" as the big vaults were, but there was enough supplies in there to keep a small group of people safe, fed, and happy for at least a few years. Granted, the basement of the Boston Bugle didn't sound as appealing as a Vault-Tec vault, but it was sound, the walls built thick, and it would do. No one used the basement, so management didn't seem to notice or care that a bunch of coworkers stole a key from the janitor and were making it their own.

This thought gave him some comfort, but not a lot. The bus finally pulled up and the little crowd of morning commuters boarded. Kent was okay with riding the bus alone, but he liked riding with his brother. Normally, the bus went past the stop for Newbury Street first, so Kent normally got off before Buster. Kent looked out the window as the bus started moving. He kept hearing about shortages and energy concerns, but by the way people were walking in and out of stores, buying and selling, gossiping and laughing at outdoor cafés, he never would have guessed anything was wrong. Maybe Buster was right about the world. Buster had told Kent a few nights ago that the world is in denial about what's happening. Working for the newspaper, Buster would have the inside story to everything.

When his stop came up, Kent slowly stood. "Remember, stop by the corner store and get the groceries. Just tell them it's the Connolly order and to put it on our tab." Buster shouted, as Kent disembarked. Kent waved nervously to his brother and got off the bus just before it left again. Being downtown made Kent nervous. Of course, it was on a long list of things that made him nervous. As long as he stayed on his designated route that he always took, he'd be alright.

A few blocks from the bus stop might as well have been a few hundred miles. The morning commuters occupying the sidewalk bumped into Kent as if he wasn't there. One man, in some kind of rush, bumped into Kent hard without saying sorry, knocking his hat off.

"Watch it, numbskull!" The man shouted at Kent, though he couldn't really be heard over the blaring traffic or the sound of people talking as they walked. Kent didn't know why everyone was in such a hurry. He looked around for his hat on the ground but couldn't find it.

"Mister, did you drop this?" asked a lyrical voice behind him. Kent turned around and was struck speechless. A young woman stood there, holding his hat to him. Kent had no luck with women. Buster had tried to set him up on a few dates, but they normally ended in disasters. This woman, probably about Kent's age but not his height, stood about two feet from him with her arm outstretched. She wore a blue, freshly laundered dress and had on orange shoes that somehow still matched the dress. Her dirty blonde hair was kept back with a blue hairband.

Kent felt his throat go dry. He outstretched his arm and took his hat back. He didn't say anything, only nodded his thank you. She smiled and went on her way. Kent tightened the grip on his hat and swallowed hard. It wasn't that he didn't think she was pretty. Out of all the people walking by him, she was the only one that stood out to him. Of course, as shy as he was, he'd never chase after her like the Silver Shroud would if the Mistress of Mystery went missing (again). He resigned himself to never seeing her again and turned toward the right direction.

By the time he reached Hubris Comics, his anxiety had melted away. This building was his home away from home. It'd been around for as long as he could remember, and he always loved coming here with Buster as a kid. They sold comic books, magazines, and other collectibles. Posters of Grognak, the Silver Shroud, and that new character The Inspector covered the walls. The Inspector had only recently shown up in The Unstoppables, and there was a rumor she was getting her own comic next year.

Kent decided to peruse the comic stands before coming to collect his pre-order. He decided to pick up some magazines for Buster, who particularly liked reading Hot Rodder and Tesla Science. Kent picked up the latest issues of these and seemed disappointed that Astoundingly Awesome Tales hadn't been restocked yet. He absentmindedly reached for an issue of La Coiffe and put it back down once he realized what he picked up. He decided to carefully deviate from his routine today and go to the barber, just to get that off his mind. Kent was glancing at an issue of Live & Love when something caught his eye.

In a display case by the employee elevator was something Kent never expected. He nearly dropped his magazines when he saw it. He made his way to the display case and read the sign. His eyes widened, as if scrutinizing every word. It took there, in its glass prison, in all its majesty. Posed perfectly in the standing position with silver shooter outstretched to take on any villain. The black coat was made out of some kind of vinyl and the scarf underneath looked like it was made of silk. The hat covered the eyes just enough that no one could tell who he was. It was almost perfectly lifelike.

 _ **Limited Edition Silver Shroud Action Figure! Poseable! Limited Stock! Get Yours Today! (Comes with everything shown, additional accessories not included)**_

Kent's mouth watered. It stopped when he looked at the price tag. Even if he saved up, he'd never be able to make that kind of money. He groaned, knowing even what he had in his pocket, plus what Buster gave him earlier, wouldn't be enough.

"A real beauty, isn't it?" said a man that suddenly appeared next to him. Kent looked up, seeing it was the manager. Kent knew this man well. He was always at the store and was rumored to be helping with the Silver Shroud pilot. "Just got it in this morning. I wanted to put one out to get the customers excited. I already have mine up in my office, ready to take home. Now, am I safe to assume I can put you down for one, Kent?"

With a reluctant smile, Kent shook his head. "I'd have to f-fix every broken appliance in my b-building in one day to afford that."

The Manager smiled. "Well, I'm not supposed to, but you're my best customer, Kent. I'd hate to see you walk out of here without one when you've been my most loyal customer. I can knock the price down a bit and give you the employee discount. Just don't tell anyone."

Kent asked how much. The Manager told him the discounted price. Kent said it was a deal and gave him almost all of what he had as payment. _So much for going to the barber,_ Kent thought. The Manager said he'd bring one out before Kent checks out. Kent had enough left over for the magazines he planned on getting for Buster and he was happy with that. Kent took his magazines up to the counter, but didn't look up at the cashier. "Oh, and I have an issue of Grognak to pick up. Under Connolly, it should already be paid-"

He stopped in mid-sentence when he looked up. His eyes widened. He didn't realize that there was a new cashier when he walked in. Kent stammered a bit and tried not to panic. "Oh, hello again, sir!" It was the girl that picked up his hat. He never thought he'd see her again. "I'm glad to see you kept your hat." Kent didn't say anything. He watched as the girl reached under the counter, found the pre-orders box, and searched for the manila envelope with "Connolly" written in marker on the front. She nodded, opened it, and carefully took the comic book out. "Grognak the Barbarian. I haven't read this issue yet. I heard it was supposed to be good."

Kent swallowed. _SHE_ read comic books?! He would have figured she'd be more of a Live  & Love magazine type of reader as pretty as she was. Buster always told him to never judge a book by its cover, but sometimes it was hard. Kent watched as she punched in the prices on the cash register and bagged his items.

"My Uncle Nate loves Grognak. He says they remind him of the old comics he had as a kid. I sent him a few issues when he was fighting in the war. I like to think getting comic books from his favorite niece made going into battle against the Commies a little easier." The girl let out a little titter of laughter and told Kent the price. Kent snapped out of his daydream and put the money on the counter.

The manager, who came over with Kent's new toy, smiled at his new hire. "Ahh, I see you've had the pleasure of meeting the man that singlehandedly kept this place in business all these years." He joked, with Kent attempting to laugh back. "Kent Connolly, I want you to meet my newest hire: Hannah Howard. She'll be working during the week as a part-timer." The manager nor Hannah saw the stupid grin spread across Kent's face. "So, got any plans tonight, Hannah?" The manager asked, helping her pack up Kent's purchases.

Hannah laughed. "If you're asking me out, forget it."

Kent's heart sunk a bit until the manager laughed back. "Nah, I'm too busy to make my own dinner, let alone take someone else out. I'm just making friendly conversation."

She looked at her boss skeptically but laughed all the same. "I'm heading over to Uncle Nate and Auntie Nora's house in Concord to babysit little Shaun. They haven't left the house much since Shaun came home from the hospital and Aunt Nora needs a night off. They're going out and they aren't ready to hand over the babysitting reigns to their new Mr. Handy just yet. I hope I get there in time to catch The Silver Shroud on the radio. I promised Uncle Nate I'd tell him about the new episode when they got back."

Kent perked up. "Y-Y-You listen to the S-S-Silver Shroud?" he asked, keeping his excitement down. His stuttering got worse when he was excited.

Hannah nodded. "Oh yes, I never miss an episode if I can help it. I've been listening to the show for years. I hear they're starting a new storyline tonight and I don't want to miss it. It'll be nice to hear an episode on my uncle's nice big radio instead of the dinky one in my apartment."

Hannah gave Kent his bag and told him to have a nice day. Kent stepped out of the way and let a woman buy some comic books. Kent slowly made his way to the door and started to open it. He looked behind himself at Hannah, who happily made conversation with the lady she was serving. Kent's heart pounded like a jackhammer. He hugged his purchases close, not caring that he was wrinkling the pages or bending the cover or almost crushing the box of his new collectible.

"I hope these comic books make your little boy feel better, Mrs. Peabody!" Hannah told the lady as she gave her purchases to the customer.

"I hope so, too. Poor Billy has been out of school for a week with this blasted cold! They can make domestic robots and cars that run on atomic energy, but they can't cure the common cold." The lady sighed and hung her purchases on her arm. "I don't like driving into Boston, but if it'll help my Billy feel better, I'd drive to the moon for these comic books."

The woman side-stepped Kent and left the store. Kent decided to leave before Hannah knew he was staring at her. When the manager called her over to help him restock the magazines, Kent left the store. He closed the door softly so the bell wouldn't ring loudly to indicate anyone went through it.

Kent wandered around for a bit, forgetting which bus stop to wait at. He felt the need to move his legs. He had known a lot of women in his life, but this person was different. Hannah Howard sounded like a name a super heroine would have. Kent felt his heart pounding louder each time he thought about her. Hannah Howard, the part-time cashier at Hubris Comics, the one who loved The Silver Shroud and listened each Friday night like he did. Tonight, when he was listening to his favorite radio show, so would she.

If it hadn't been for the Good Samaritan that yanked him by his shirt back onto the sidewalk, Kent would have walked right in front of an oncoming truck when the no crossing sign came on. Kent was so lost in his daydream, he didn't hear the guy ask him if he had lost his mind. Though, Kent did nod and answer yes when the crosswalk was available for walking again.

Somehow making it to the corner store alive, Kent walked in and snapped out of his daydream. He made his way to the customer service desk and said he was picking up a grocery order. When the girl asked for the name, Kent couldn't remember his own name. All he could think about was Hannah Howard. He almost said her name but fumbled and said "Connolly" before the service girl called for the manager.

Kent walked the block or so home and arrived just as Mrs. Glass walked in. He told her he'd be up to check her oven as soon as he put the groceries in his apartment. He walked into his apartment and was surprised to see Buster home early. It was barely after lunch and Buster normally ate with his coworkers. "Buster!" Kent shouted.

Buster didn't look up from the drink he'd poured himself. Buster didn't drink much, but when he did it normally meant something bad had happened. Kent put the groceries on the counter and sat across from his brother at the kitchen table. Buster poured himself another when he noticed Kent sitting down. "Hey, Kenny…" he mumbled, taking a swig.

"I got the groceries like you asked, Buster." Kent started, hoping to lighten the mood. "I didn't panic like last time when the girl asked for my name. I-I still stammered a bit, but I did it by myself!" Kent wanted to get his brother to smile, but only saw a small grin trace across his face. "What's wrong, Buster? You didn't get fired, did you?" Kent started to panic, regretting buying that action figure earlier.

Buster waved this concern away. "Nah, I'm too important for them to fire. I decided to take the rest of the day off to do some thinking. You know that big story I've been working on, about the shortages and ration lines over in Roxbury?"

Kent nodded. Some places had worse shortage problems than others. While the city and the military base seemed pretty stocked, smaller towns couldn't say the same. The worst place for the shortages was in a community called Roxbury. Technically a neighborhood of Boston, one wouldn't think at first glance that this place had a shortage of any kind. It had a Fallon's Department Store, which was pretty swanky for two adult brothers who still received money from their parents from time to time.

"They dispatched some army guys to keep the peace when they were handing out rations, but there have been rumors that some of the rations have been disappearing. Well, from what one of the witnesses say, it was the soldiers that started to riot that led to four people dying. My editor told me to edit it and what was supposed to be a front page spread is now stuffed somewhere in the back by the opinions page. There is nothing lower than that, Kenny. Even the old lady that writes recipes got a bigger spread than me. My editor told me they don't want to cause anymore panic. He's got me doing sports for a while just to keep me from doing any more on this case." Buster leaned back, not wanting to see the worried expression on Kent's face. "The entire world is in denial, Kenny."

Kent blinked. "Denial? A-about what?"

"About what's really happening, that's what. Every day, I see reports come in on the wire about something going wrong and they won't allow us to report on it. One of my coworkers is doing an ongoing piece about how the president hasn't been seen in weeks. It's been all over the news, but no one around here seems to notice. I've won awards for my pieces and now they want me to report on the upcoming baseball games." Buster sat up and noticed Kent's worried expression. "Kenny, I'm sorry. I don't want to burden you with this."

Swallowing, Kent smiled and tried his best to reassure Buster. "Buster, I know I get a little…anxious at times and it's hard for me to leave the apartment building most days without having a panic fit. But I don't want you to worry about me. I-I'll be fine. And baseball isn't that bad! Who in Boston doesn't like baseball? You might win another a-a-ward!"

Buster chuckled and decided not to pour himself another drink. "At least this way, I get free tickets to the games. And rumor is our home team is going for the World Series this year!"

The Connolly Brothers laughed for a good few minutes. Kent was happy to see Buster so jovial. If Buster could find a bright side to being put on the sports, then Kent could too. Kent figured more people read the sports page than whatever was on the front page, anyway. And Kent liked baseball, so it wasn't that bad. Kent got up and went to the counter to help Buster put groceries away before heading up to Mrs. Glass's apartment.

"So, what did you buy instead of getting a haircut?" Buster finally asked, putting a box of Sugar Bombs in the cabinet.

Kent blushed. He went to his bag from the comic book store and took out two magazines for Buster and his new action figure. Buster only laughed, but it wasn't a mocking laugh. It was more of an "I should have expected this" kind of laugh.

When Kent was finished repairing Mrs. Glass's oven that evening, he came back down to his apartment to write up the maintenance report. It was going on 8 o'clock. He didn't want to rush through the report because his panicked handwriting was more illegible than his regular. When he was finished, he thought about the events of the day. He then realized he deviated far from his pre-planned Friday schedule. He started to have a little panic fit, but it went away when he thought about why it was deviated.

He didn't know how to feel about the day's events, but he was happy to think about Hannah Howard. Kent looked at the wall clock and noticed it was almost time for The Silver Shroud. He finished his report, deciding to send it to the building manager in the morning, and ran over to the living room. The Connolly Brothers didn't have a television, but they had a radio that sat on the cabinet in front of the window. Buster, who had made dinner that night, had two trays out. Whenever he got home in time on Fridays to catch the show with Kent, they ate together on the couch. The lights of the city reflected through their window and the sounds of the night were beginning.

As the Galaxy News Radio promo played, Buster looked over at his brother, who plopped himself down and scooted the tray close. Buster grinned stupidly when he saw Kent take the action figure from the side table and put it on the tray.

"So…" Buster started, breaking their unspoken protocol about radio night. "…tell me about Hannah…"

Kent nearly choked, forgetting that he had mentioned a new check-out girl at the comic book store. He must have told Buster too much about her and not enough about his earlier purchase. Kent tried to smile and wave it away. Buster only chuckled and listened to the radio with his brother.

 _ **When evil walks the streets of Boston, one man lurks in the shadows. Shielding the innocent, judging the guilty. That guardian is The Silver Shroud! Today's Episode: A Slaying in Scolley Square…**_

* * *

 **Hi, hi!**

 **So, you all might know me. I'm known as Luna Peachie!**

 **I decided to try my hand at a Fallout 4 fic, just to see how it went. Why did I decide on Kent Connolly, the ghoul comic book geek? Well, that's easy. He's a tragic character, and I think fans can relate to him more than they think. He uses the radio as his escape from the world around him, just as we use games and television to do the same. Sitting in that back room in the Memory Den, whiling his hours away taking care of his radio show. He wants to make a change in the world, but he has some pretty romanticized ideas about how to do it.**

 **As I was rummaging through the Boston Bugle building during a quest, I came across a terminal with some headlines. One reporter's name was Buster Connolly. The game never states if the two are related, but I figured if Kent Connolly is a pre-war ghoul, then odds are he had other family before the bombs fell. All we know is he is (and more than likely was) a comic book enthusiast who became obsessed with justice's shroud to escape everything that was going on around him. In dialogue, he has a slight stutter, which to me means he gets nervous easily, so I believe he may have bouts with anxiety attacks from time to time. The fact that he has few friends and spends most of his time in the Memory Den alone seems to be my evidence. The fact that he made his own replica gun and fixes up your armor (if he survives that quest) is evidence that he has some mechanical background. Perhaps a freelance handyman.**

 **I saw a little bit of myself in Kent when I did his quest. And I think that's why he resonated with me enough to make a fan fic about him.**

 **So, how did I do? Why not leave me a swell review to let me know? I'd love to continue this piece. I'm trying to stay as close to Fallout lore as I can with this, so if I made any mistakes, let me know. Following the timeline is tough, but I'm up for the challenge!**

 **Kent Connolly and Fallout belong to Bethesda.**


	2. Routine Maintenance

_Si lver Lining_

Routine Maintenance

 _ **Friday, September 24**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2077**_

"No, officer." Kent heard Buster say as he walked in from his bedroom. Kent Connolly looked like he had just risen from the dead, and he felt that way as well. He hadn't been getting much sleep since the Friday before, and he knew the reason. He tried denying it, even when his brother chided him and when it distracted him so much from his job, he nearly severed his thumb fixing a tenant's garbage disposal. It took a moment for Kent to realize Buster was on the phone.

Buster Connolly didn't seem too thrilled with this conversation. Kent decided to let Buster finish and went to make himself some breakfast. Kent could see that Buster had been interrupted in the middle of eating, because his bowl was still full of the now soggy Sugar Bombs and his coffee was barely touched. The newspaper was unrolled, but not to any page in particular. Kent made himself a bowl of cereal and sat in his usual spot. He didn't like to, but Buster's conversation sounded too good to miss.

"Yes, I understand she's my cousin, but I'm not coming down there to get her…no, it's not that I don't have the money to bail her out, it's just that the family had decided long ago that if she wasn't going to get her act together, we weren't going to waste money helping her anymore. She can sit in that cell and think about what she's done like a big girl…no, I don't know any Nicole Connell. I can see how easy it was for her to take the car, though." Buster looked over and noticed Kent was at the kitchen table, listening. "No, no, don't send her to my place when she gets out, officer. She wants to pal around with that low-life boyfriend that keeps getting her into trouble, let her go home to him. I think he lives somewhere in Lexington."

After a few more affirmative grunts, Buster hung up the phone. Buster shook his head and sat back down at the kitchen table. "Cousin Nicole got caught again, didn't she?" Kent asked, dipping his spoon into his cereal bowl. If Kent was the black sheep of the Connolly family, then Nicole was the wolf in black sheep's clothing. Kent remembered playing with Nicole when he was a kid, because they were so close in age, but when they became teenagers, Nicole just went wild. She left Boston after just barely graduating high school and traveled around the country. Kent would have been jealous of that freedom if it wasn't spent committing crimes all over this great land. She had been arrested for everything from shoplifting to setting an ex-boyfriend's house on fire in Topeka.

Buster grunted. "Yeah, and to add insult to injury, they spelled her name wrong on the police report again. They spelled it C-O-N-N- _E_ -L-L-Y."

There had been many instances in the Connolly Brothers' lives where their last name was spelled wrong. It was an honest mistake, but it bothered Buster more than it bothered Kent. It was probably because Buster was a journalist and he prided himself in being grammatically perfect. If he had to do it, then at least the world could too, even if they weren't being paid to do so.

Shrugging, Buster picked his newspaper back up after giving up on his cereal. Kent could tell something else was bothering Buster besides their cousin being arrested again. Over the last few days, things had started to change for the Connolly Brothers. Kent wasn't sure if he was comfortable with it or not. Buster didn't seem to adjust being put on the sports desk at work, but he tried to think about the positives of such a job. While free tickets to the ball games were enticing to both of them, Buster didn't think it was the meaty kind of reporting he wanted to do. Anyone who was anyone in Boston read the sports page, but that wasn't the type of reporting Buster wanted to get into when he was in college.

While Buster was busy trying to get used to the sports desk, Kent was doing everything he could to not think about the new clerk at Hubris Comics. Hannah Howard, the comic book loving, Silver Shroud adoring, and just overall lovely girl that ran off with Kent's heart the moment she picked up his hat off the sidewalk, when everyone else would have stepped on it and kicked Kent in the rear when he bent down to get it. Hannah Howard; her name sounded like the secret identity to some super heroine or the love interest of one. She could be the Mistress of Mystery to Kent's Silver Shroud.

Then he thought about how ridiculous that sounded in his head and went back to eating his cereal. A pretty, All-American girl like her would never go for a schmuck like Kent Connolly. Kent Connolly, building maintenance man, comic collector, and…that's it. Kent had never truly been on a date. He didn't count the times his mom or Buster set him up with someone. Those always ended in disaster. He either started to stutter due to his nervousness, or he bored the lady with comic book and holotape game talk. Kent resigned himself to never finding the Mistress of Mystery to his Silver Shroud.

Buster got up after a while and put his dishes in the sink. Kent was busy eating his cereal and reading the funnies, a part of the newspaper that Buster detested. Kent's day wasn't going to be too busy. He had some work around the apartment building to do, like making sure the boiler in the basement was in working order for the upcoming cold weather and a few minor repairs in some of the apartments. He decided to get to the boiler first and get it out of the way.

"Oh, Kenny, before I forget, you got a call last night." Buster said, washing out his bowl. "I meant to tell you, but I fell asleep before you came in."

Kent sighed. "Y-yeah, I got stuck upstairs trying to fix Mrs. Glass's oven. It died on her again. I fixed it as b-best I could last Friday, but it needs a part that can only be mail-ordered from General Atomics. I told her I'd have the building manager order it and install it when it gets here. She said she was okay with waiting, but I don't know how long they can eat take-out before they go crazy."

Buster laughed, seeing as he and Kent mostly subsisted on take-out and frozen dinners. They had menus to various take-out places stuck to the side of their refrigerator with magnets and Buster considered taking a few upstairs to Mrs. Glass. But he knew she liked to cook at home, and was a damn good cook judging by all the leftovers and cookies she gave the Connolly Brothers over the years. As much as she cooked and baked like any All-American housewife did, Buster wasn't surprised to hear the oven finally gave. She probably cooked and baked as a coping mechanism for Mr. Glass always working. Buster shrugged; some women turn to whiskey, some turn to younger lovers, but Mrs. Cheryl Glass turned to baking (and the occasional expensive shopping spree) to combat loneliness.

"The call was from Hubris Comics." Buster finally blurted out. Kent nearly choked on his cereal. "Your issue of 'The Unstoppables' finally came in."

Of all the things he didn't want to hear, Buster just said it. Kent had been fighting the urge to go to Hubris Comics all week and it was hard. He couldn't get himself to face Hannah, despite only really speaking to her once. But he had been waiting for this issue of The Unstoppables for a while now. But he had a lot to do around the building and if he didn't do it, he'd have no money and have to keep asking Buster for some. Kent sighed, fought his urge to ask Buster to take the bus with him, and decided to get to work.

When Buster left for work, Kent decided to go ahead and get started on his work load. It wasn't a lot to do on the maintenance sheet, but the things that needed fixing would take him most of the day. He hoped he'd be done in time to listen to The Silver Shroud that night. Last week's episode was still fresh in Kent's mind and he was nervous over who this person shadowing the Shroud was. Mayor Murphy was murdered by ruffians and now someone else was coming on the scene. He hoped it was the Mistress of Mystery. There was a rumor that she was coming back to the show.

Kent thought about this as he left the building manager's office with the list of things to be done. Another thing about the Friday before resonated with Kent as well. His brother told him the world was in denial and there was evidence of it everywhere. Buster wasn't allowed to work on the Roxbury story anymore, despite his constant insistence over the phone to his editor to let him keep running the story. Kent held up his clipboard while walking into the lobby of his apartment building. He could see Buster's reasoning; cars still zoomed past outside despite oil and coolant prices being absurd, people walked down the sidewalk in fresh tailored suits or freshly laundered dresses and brand new shiny shoes, domestic robots followed their child charges to school and one was even walking a dog.

The apartment building they stayed in was an older building, but looked very modern on the inside. It had about nine floors, with Kent and Buster's apartment on the third floor and the Glass Family living on the top floor in one of the bigger, nicer apartments. Of course, for whatever reason, the massive boiler in the basement appeared to have been there since the American Revolution because it was the oldest thing in the building and needed constant maintenance. Kent hated that boiler and was happy that it was only in need of a fine tuning. The building was ready for the cold weather. He made yet another memo on his sheet that the boiler needed to be replaced with something more modern before it blew up the entire building.

Kent left the basement, wondering why the heating in the building was so archaic compared to everything else when he almost ran into Mrs. Glass. He looked up from his clipboard and smiled at her. He still hadn't gotten a haircut and the disapproval on Mrs. Glass's face was pretty clear, though she didn't say anything. "Oh, sorry Mrs. Glass. I w-was just finishing up with the b-b-boiler."

Mrs. Glass smiled. At that moment, Kent looked down and noticed little Marlene standing by her mother. Marlene was about seven, had blonde hair like her mother that she kept back in two little barrettes, but had her father's serious looking eyes. Marlene was a cheerful little girl, despite the tension Kent could feel going on in her family. Kent looked at his wrist watch, noticing the time.

"Marlene isn't feeling well, so I'm taking her to the doctor." said Mrs. Glass, looking at her own wrist watch. "I'm sure it's just that cold that's going around, but better safe than sorry."

"Mommy says she'll get me ice cream if I'm good and don't scream at the doctor again." Marlene fluted, with a grin. "Mr. Connolly, can you come up later and have a look at Buttercup?"

Kent blinked. Mr. Glass worked at Wilson Atomatoys, the company that made the popular "Giddyup Buttercup" toys. So, of course, Marlene had a complete set. They came in all sizes: tiny collectable ones kids could take anywhere, medium sized ones for just play, and of course the big ones that were about the size of a full grown Great Dane, but build strong enough to hold an adult man on its back. It was marketed as "the ultimate in equestrian robotics", though Kent never saw what was so robotic about it. It made sounds, the big ones moved a little bit, and that's it. He hated its stare; cold and lifeless.

"I'm n-not a vet, Marlene." Kent joked, though he was bad at jokes. It seemed to amuse Marlene, though.

"Buttercup isn't bouncing right. I think one of her legs is broken. Mommy said you were good with stuff like that, and I don't want Buttercup to be sick, too! She's a special horsey and can't go to a regular horse doctor!" Marlene looked like she was about to cry, worrying about that metal pony toy.

Kent smiled. He was comfortable around Marlene. Maybe because, unlike the adults, kids never expected too much of him. "Alright, I'll have a quick l-look tonight, Marlene. Just have your m-mom bring it to my apartment after you all get home."

Marlene beamed and hugged Kent. Kent looked nervously at the child, but patted her head anyway. Marlene let go of Kent's waist and ran to the lobby doors. Mrs. Glass smiled too. "Thank you for humoring her, Kent. I think one of its back legs is busted, and Arlen has been so busy at work he hasn't had time to fix it. I know the building manager has you busy getting the building ready for winter today, so I'll just drop it off tonight and you can fix it sometime this weekend."

Kent nodded with a smile. "A-anything for Marlene. She's a good kid." Kent waved to Mrs. Glass and Marlene as they left. Kent watched them walk out of the building and into the day. He was amazed at how fast they blended into the crowd along the sidewalk. Kent wished he could do that without having a panic attack.

While up in one of the fancier apartments on the fifth floor, Kent attempted to once again coax Mrs. Gladstone's cat out of the vent. This wasn't part of his normal maintenance rounds, but the building manager told him to do it anyway just to keep the old woman from blowing up his phone. Mrs. Gladstone's apartment was odd, and that was an understatement. Everything had a specific order and if one ancient fashion magazine was out of order, she'd start her little rants. Kent made the mistake of bumping into an already cracked vase in the living room. He caught it before it could fall and break, but Mrs. Gladstone made him stay an hour longer than he needed to just to put it back "just right". She claimed it was one of a kind, but Kent could swear he saw the same vase on sale at a department store not too long ago.

Today, Mrs. Gladstone's daughter was there for her annual visit and Kent felt guilty for listening in on their conversation. The woman took one look at Kent, on his knees trying to fix the vent that didn't need to be fixed and trying to fish out Mrs. Gladstone's cat…again.

"Mother, this has gone on long enough." Mrs. Gladstone's daughter said, before taking a sip of coffee. "I know you like living here and I loved growing up in this building, but you're not well. For Pete's sake, you're making the poor maintenance man fish out your ill-mannered cat from the vent!"

"Oh, Kenny loves helping me with Fluffy. He earns his treats." Mrs. Gladstone fluted, her own hands shaking as she poured more coffee than she needed. "And Fluffy isn't ill-mannered! She loves Kenny."

That wasn't even close to the truth in Kent's mind. Mrs. Gladstone's cat was the most ill-mannered little monster in the entire building, and that included the horrid screeching parakeet on the second floor that got loose in the building and terrorized everyone for months. Fluffy scratched at Kent even when Kent wasn't trying to get her unstuck from something. He wondered if Hannah liked cats. If so, she'd probably be better with them than Kent was. Hannah looked like she could handle anything.

Kent shook himself from this thought when Fluffy hissed at him while swiping her sharp claws at his hand.

"Mother, I won't hear any more of this. You haven't left this apartment since Pop died and we think it's starting to affect your mind. I know you don't want to move in with us, but you need to be somewhere where you can be looked after by professionals and so your cat won't torture the poor maintenance man. Ronnie and I decided to put you up at Sandy Coves Convalescent Home." Mrs. Gladstone's daughter seemed quite pleased with her announcement.

"I won't have you take Fluffy from me and put me in a home!" Mrs. Gladstone shouted,

"They allow pets and you can take Fluffy with you. Lord knows why you'd want to. This way, you'll be taken care of, and you're only a bus ride away from us."

"You lazy thing! Can't even be bothered to take a ride into Cambridge to see your poor old mother! I don't want any strangers looking after me or my Fluffy!"

"It'd be best for you and us. The kids can come visit whenever they want and if you need us, we're not even a few minutes away. And it's completely state of the art! The staff is almost completely robots so they'll be on call day or night. You'll never have to worry about waiting until morning to have someone come and save Fluffy from the vent."

At that moment, a hissing sound caught their attention. They looked over at Kent who panicked and stood up as Fluffy came running out of the vent. Kent closed the vent and looked at his hand. It was only a scratch, but it hurt like Hell. Kent wrote up the report and left as Mrs. Gladstone conceded to her daughter's wishes. Kent knew the building manager wouldn't mind giving back her deposit. He would probably throw a going away party for all Kent knew.

After a few more rounds, Kent finally made it back to his apartment at a quarter to five. He almost went the entire day not thinking about Hannah Howard or Hubris Comics or anything. He hadn't left the apartment building all day and though he was smiling, he didn't feel proud of himself. Kent felt, even though he did everything on his list and got paid afterward, he felt like he had wasted the day. The sun was setting and it seemed that everyone else was either going home to dinner or getting ready to go out. Kent turned on the radio just to have some sound in the apartment.

 _The world is in denial._ Kent thought, resting his head on the windowsill and staring down at the sidewalk below. _So many bad things happening and no one seems to mind. I wish I could feel that free. I'd love to just hop on down the street without a care in the world. I wonder how other people do it. I shouldn't stay here in this apartment tonight. I'd hate to miss The Silver Shroud, but there is a world out there I could be a part of. But…that'd mean accepting this denial as well. Maybe they aren't in denial like Buster says. Maybe they worry as much as anyone and they've just decided to cope with it. Yeah, that has to be it. No one can ignore things like the massive shortages in Roxbury and just walk down the street to the grocers with a clear conscious. The world isn't that crazy. I can't keep doing this. Kent Connolly, you have to stop this! Do something different! So what if someone new has thrown a monkey wrench into your plans! If your brother can handle the change of being put on a new desk at work, you can handle a girl at the comic book store! A pretty girl…named Hannah Howard…_

At that moment, the phone rang. Kent stood up, but was scared to answer it. What if it was Hubris Comics, reminding him to come get his order? What if it was Hannah calling on behalf of Hubris Comics saying his order was ready? What if it was Mrs. Gladstone about that damn cat again? Kent hesitated, but reached for the phone anyway. He turned down the radio with one hand and picked up the receiver with the other. He swallowed. "H-h-hello? Connolly residence." He stuttered.

" _Hey, Kenny, it's Buster."_ said the voice on the other end. It was indeed Buster. _"Listen, I'm going to be working on this assignment after hours, so I won't be home until super late."_

This thought made Kent shiver. He hated it when Buster worked late because it disrupted everything. "Y-y-you're working l-l-late?" Kent asked, his hand shaking.

Buster sighed on the other end. _"Yeah, I know you don't like being in the apartment by yourself for long, but I have to get this on the editor's desk before I leave. Look, I'll only be a few hours more, and I'll take the late bus home. If I'm not home before the Silver Shroud comes on, just head on to bed. Don't wait up for me. There is some Salisbury steak in the fridge if you want to heat that up for dinner. Or order up something from one of those menus we have piling up on the fridge. Did you get paid today?"_

"Yep, I did. I d-d-did all my maintenance work today. I got a little extra when I told the building manager that Mrs. Gladstone was moving out. He popped open a bottle of whiskey and started doing a jig right there on his desk. I left b-b-before he asked me to join him." Kent tried to sound gleeful when he said that.

" _Alright!_ _We should celebrate! No more Mrs. Gladstone and her nutty cat calling at all hours of the night. Listen, tomorrow we'll go to that barbeque place at Revere Beach that you like. We'll have some burgers, watch the last of the summer tourists leave, we'll get out of the city for the day. My treat. I think we both need it."_ Buster made a sipping sound, as if he was drinking from a coffee mug.

Kent instantly felt better. Not just because he really liked the burgers at the little barbeque hut by the beach, but because he was spending it with Buster. Kent knew as long as he had Buster, things would be fine and he wouldn't have to worry. "I'd r-really like that, Buster." Kent murmured, finally relaxing in the chair Buster normally sat in beside the couch.

After a little more conversation, Kent hung up the phone. Buster did all these things for him and Kent couldn't even begin to repay him. Kent knew Buster worried about him. Buster was always worrying about his little brother and Kent was grateful for it. But Kent also knew that Buster would want him to be a little more self-sufficient. Tonight, Kent wasn't going to just eat frozen steak for dinner. Tonight, Kent was going to take a few more steps into self-sufficiency. He didn't want to rely on Buster forever. Buster had his own life to live.

Putting on his coat and hat, Kent opened his door just as Mrs. Glass was about to knock. "Oh, h-h-hello again, Mrs. Glass." Kent stammered, moving out of the way so Mrs. Glass could come in. She was carrying Marlene's Giddyup Buttercup, which was surprisingly lightweight for something that was supposed to be robotic. Kent figured Mr. Glass had it made especially for Marlene, so it was probably missing all the unnecessary parts that made the toy well overpriced.

Mrs. Glass looked around the apartment and nodded, placing the toy in the middle of the living room in front of the couch. Her apartment was more spacious, so of course she had to size up how the Connolly Brothers lived. "I thought I'd go ahead and drop off Marlene's toy tonight before I forget. Arlen is actually on his way home right now and when he gets home, we're going out to dinner as a family for the first time in ages!"

Kent smiled. "I'm happy to hear that, Mrs. Glass. Is Marlene feeling okay?"

Mrs. Glass nodded. "Oh yes, it was just a little cold. They gave her some medicine and she should be over it in a few days. She'll be well enough to go to school on Monday. Well, have a good night, Kent! Tell Buster I said hello!" And she almost skipped down the hall toward the elevator. Kent closed his apartment door and stared at the yellow horse toy sitting in the middle of the living room. Its creepy stare made Kent turn on all the lights in the apartment. When that didn't alleviate the creepiness, he put an open magazine on its face. He felt better, but not by much.

Nodding to himself, Kent decided that he's not going to stay in the apartment with that…thing staring at him. It was some sort of sign. He looked out the window one more time and saw the sky. The sun was setting and if he was actually going to leave and get something to eat himself, he needed to do it soon. At night, the crazies came out.

He took the first steps out of his apartment and went down the elevator. He was wearing his coat over a the t-shirt he wore to do his maintenance rounds that day, but he figured since he was just going down the block to pick up some take-out, no one would care too much. As long as he didn't run into the Glass Family.

He didn't, but he arrived downstairs as they were getting into their car outside the lobby. Arlen Glass was a tall man, taller than Kent, and looked much older than his wife and daughter. He had some crow's feet around his eyes, but he was probably no older than forty. His hair was greying, but Kent could swear Mr. Glass took on a more youthful appearance whenever he was around little Marlene. Kent had only talked to Mr. Glass a few times, but he seemed like a good man. He offered Kent a job at Wilson Atomatoys once due to his prowess with machines, but Kent turned him down. Mr. Glass told Kent that if he ever changed his mind, to come see him

Kent wasn't sure if Mr. Glass was joking or being serious. It was hard to tell. Kent was lost in this thought when he walked through the front door. He didn't see the girl he bumped into. Kent started to apologize and looked at who he bumped into. His mouth went dry and he started to hyperventilate.

Hannah Howard, today wearing a green dress of almost the same design as her blue one from last Friday, shook her dizziness away and looked at who bumped into her. She smiled. She seemed to be holding something under her arm. "Well, hello again!" she laughed. "I guess the guy I talked to this morning didn't rely my message when I called, but you never came to pick up your order and my boss got worried, so he told me to just drop it off at your place on my way home."

Kent swallowed and went to straighten his tie, when he realized he was only wearing a t-shirt and ratty jeans. "Oh, y-y-yeah, my brother, Buster. Yeah, I was b-b-busy all day." Kent tried to control his stammering but he knew she noticed. Hannah only smiled up at him. She didn't seem to care that he could barely find the words to speak to her or that he was so out of his comfort zone, he might as well have been on the moon. "I probably w-w-w-would have stopped by tomorrow after we got back from Revere Beach."

Hannah smiled. "I love going to Revere Beach! There's this little barbecue hut on the boardwalk that sells the best Nuka Floats!"

Kent perked up. "Right after you leave Revere Station? Yeah, th-th-they have these burgers that they grill almost to a crisp, but they taste great! My brother and I are going tomorrow, just to get out of the city for a few hours." Kent felt himself relax a bit.

"Hey, I didn't get a chance to ask you, but your brother wouldn't happen to be Buster Connolly, the reporter, would he?" Hannah looked at Kent curiously. When Kent nodded, she seemed to light up. "I read his article about the shortages in Roxbury. I used to live over there and it hurts to see the shortages effecting so many people I grew up with. I can't believe they had the nerve to stick such a great piece in the back by the opinions."

"Yeah, he was pretty mad about that. They told him they didn't w-want to cause a panic in the city, but he was so p-passionate about the story. They have him doing sports now, but he hates it. The only upside is that he gets free tickets to the games." Kent felt himself relax some more.

Hannah let out a little titter of laughter before remembering why she came out here in the first place. "Oh, right. Here is your order." She looked at her wrist watch and panicked. "Oh, I'd better hurry if I'm going to catch the bus home. It was great talking to you, Kent! I hope to see you around the shop more!" Hannah waved as she started running toward the nearest bus stop. She arrived just as the bus did and hurried on board. Kent had never taken the bus that late, so he didn't know where it was going or where she lived. But he still waved as the bus drove by him and he was happy to see she waved back.

Kent hugged his comic close, not caring if he bent the cover or not. Hannah Howard, clerk for Hubris Comics on Newbury, lover of Nuka Floats and reader of actual news and not that puff pieces in the front of the paper, came to his apartment for him. Granted, it was just to drop off a comic book, but she stayed to talk to him. He figured she got his address from the order slip, which he had to write down along with everything else when he placed his orders at the store.

"Hannah Howard…" he moaned. "She's a limited edition type of girl."

He realized he was standing there like a goofball and decided to go get some food. He felt a skip in his step as he rounded the corner. He stopped just short of a soldier in fatigues. Kent never thought he'd see a military checkpoint in the city, but decided not to get in their way. He took the long way to his destination.

When Kent arrived back at his apartment with food from the only Chinese place in Greater Boston that hadn't been vandalized by pro-American crazies, it was almost seven. Kent had to go the long way to avoid the back streets. He didn't just them, no matter how well-lit they were. He stayed to the main roads. He put his order and his comic on the kitchen table and looked around. Buster wasn't home yet. Kent swallowed by decided he wasn't going to think about it. It made him nervous, but there was going to be a time when Buster wasn't going to be able to look after him. Things were changing, and if Kent could walk to the Chinese place alone, then he could do other things, too.

Kent ate his dinner of noodles and some chicken dish he couldn't pronounce and decided to work on the Giddyup Buttercup while listening to the Silver Shroud. Kent grabbed his tools from the hall closet and sat on the floor of the living room. There was still some time before the show, but Kent liked having the radio on while he worked. He was amazed by how many advertisements there were on the radio. It was good grey noise for working, though.

 _Has your life taken a turn?_ Asked one advert after a catchy Nuka-Cola jingle went off. _Do troubles beset you? Has fortune left you behind? If so, the Sierra Madre Casino, in all its glory, is inviting you to begin again. Come to a place where wealth, excitement and intrigue await around every corner. Stroll along the winding streets of our beautiful resort, make new friends, or rekindle old flames. Let your eyes take in the luxurious expanse of the open desert under clear star-lit skies._

Kent thought it was strange that they were advertising a resort in the Southwest here in Boston. He heard some of the patrons of the nicer apartments talk about it during some of his maintenance rounds, but figured he and Buster could never afford to go there. If Kent didn't know any better, he could have sworn that sultry voice in the advert was actress Vera Keyes. She was something of a famous actress, but most of her poorly written and awkwardly acted movies got bad reviews despite big box office earnings. Kent wasn't much of a romance guy, anyway. He wondered what kind of movies Hannah liked as he unscrewed the pony doll's head.

 _So if life's worries have weighed you down, if you need an escape from your troubles, or if you just need an opportunity to begin again, join us, let go, and leave the world behind at the Sierra Madre grand opening this October... We'll be waiting._ The advert made a little jingle and then the Galaxy News Radio promo played. Kent wondered if his parents out west heard the same advert. He only shrugged, turned up the radio and went back to work. He hoped Hannah got home in time to hear this episode. He felt a calm ease wash over him, as he leaned against the body of the toy horse. He wondered if she was thinking about how cheesy that advert for a casino in the desert was for a place like Boston and if she was just now sitting down to listen. He sighed longingly, realizing that fighting it was pointless now.

 _ **When evil walks the streets of Boston, one man lurks in the shadows. Shielding the innocent, judging the guilty. That guardian is The Silver Shroud! Today's Episode: The Mystery of Mayor Murphy…**_

* * *

 **Hi-hi, again!**

 **I tell you, I get such a charge writing this story. I haven't had this much inspiration since I wrote "Reconstructing Humanity" over in the Portal area. Go check it out if you have time!**

 **So, as you can tell, each chapter is going to take place on a Friday, all the way until the second to last chapter, which will kind of take place on Friday/Saturday, the day the bombs fell. What happens? If you're roaming around the Fallout area of Fanfiction, you should know already. What happens between now and then? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out, huh?**

 **To get a feel for the areas I talked about, I played Fallout 4 in those areas. I found a mention of a Nicole Connelly in a police terminal, but I'm not sure if she's related to Kent, either. For the sake of the story, I made it so and that their last name is frequently misspelled. Roaming around some more, I found no evidence of any Chinese restaurants, and I figured if America was so anti-Communist during the pre-war era, anything even remotely Chinese would be seen as a threat. So, I imagine despite Chinese take-out places being pretty prevalent during the 50's (meaning in retro futuristic America, they'd be there, too), they'd probably be to target of vandalism and such by people poisoned by propaganda. In retrospect, I could have made him go to a deli, but I've never met a bachelor that didn't eat Chinese food at least three times a week lol.**

 **I find a lot of military checkpoints or military vehicles while roaming the area. I imagine most citizens tried to ignore them and pretend they were just part of the scenery. Oh, if only they knew what was actually going on…**

 **So, how did I do? Did I get something wrong in the lore? Did you enjoy it? Do you want to see more? Well, write me a review and tell me so! Tell me what you feel and if there is anything specific you'd like to read about.**

 **So, let's do this thing, huh? Leave a review and let's keep this train going! (Whoo-whoo!)**

 **Kent Connolly and Fallout belong the Bethesda.**


	3. Out of the Bubble, into the Fire

_Silver Lining_

Out of the Bubble, into the Fire

 _ **Friday, October 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **, 2077**_

The weather was getting colder. Not cold enough for thick jackets, but cold enough to wear light long sleeve shirts and a hat. Kent Connolly looked for any reason to wear a hat over his shaggy brown hair, as he kept forgetting to go to the barber. Of course, nowadays the hat took on a different purpose. He didn't want her to see him staring at her from across the store.

Hannah Howard, the new check-out clerk at Hubris Comics, had unknowingly become the object of Kent's affections lately, no matter how hard he tried to fight it. He wanted things to go back to normal. He wanted to pick up a few comics, go home, read them, and then wait for his brother, Buster, to come home so they can have whatever take-out Buster picked up or frozen meal or reheated leftovers from Mrs. Glass for dinner and listen to the Silver Shroud radio show. But all that was gone, now. He blamed her for it, but he wasn't mad. He was starting to like his new routine, anyway.

From his brief interactions with Hannah, he learned so much about her. Kent learned that Hannah grew up in Roxbury before moving into Boston proper to attend college. Her parents just recently moved to the D.C. area when her soldier older brother was stationed near there. She got a job at Hubris Comics and took weekend classes for the moment, hoping to change to weekday classes once she saved up a bit of money. She loved the Silver Shroud and never missed an episode as long as she got off work in time to catch the right bus. She liked the color blue and wore it a lot, though her second favorite color was green. She has an uncle, Nate (her father's youngest brother), who lives in the Concord neighborhood of Sanctuary Hills with his wife, Nora, and infant son, Shaun. She babysits Shaun whenever they need a night to themselves. She is also very uncomfortable around their Mr. Handy, Codsworth.

Kent went back to pretending to read the latest issue of Manta-Man, though in his opinion it was quite boring. Manta-Man with other heroes around was good, as he had others to overshadow his useless powers on land. Of all the heroes to get their own series, Kent couldn't believe it was Manta-Man. He tried ranting about this to his brother, Buster, once. Buster had no idea what Kent was talking about, but humored him nonetheless.

"Sure, Kenny." Buster had said before getting back to his plate of whatever take-out or reheated leftovers from Mrs. Glass they were having for dinner.

Giving up on reading Manta-Man, Kent picked up an issue of Captain Cosmos and started to read. He moved closer to the check-out desk while pretending to browse. He didn't want Hannah to know that he was listening in on her conversation with the manager.

"I guess we shouldn't be too surprised by the drills, but those sirens are loud enough to wake the dead." said the Manager, going through the box of pre-orders and trying to organize them.

"You'd think they'd warn you if there was a drill coming up." Hannah responded, though not looking up from her issue of The Unstoppables.

"A real nuclear attack isn't going to have a warning, Hannah." Her boss retorted. "I'm surprised they aren't having them in the city."

"I read an article in the paper that the air raid sirens are close to Vault-Tec vaults, so it's actually just to warn anyone signed up." Hannah slowly turned a page and looked up. Kent was standing a few shelves away and reading an issue of Captain Cosmos. His hat brim was pretty low over his eyes.

"Of course. I'm so glad I put in my application for space in a vault. And the next day, one of those Vault-Tec guys drove up and told me I had clearance." The Manager seemed pretty smug.

"Alright, smart guy." Hannah chortled, looking up from her comic. "Which one of those useless buried tin cans were you accepted in?"

The Manager made a "one second" motion with his index finger and left for a moment. He came back with an acceptance letter. "Good ol' Vault 81. 81 one is my lucky number." The Manager laughed and went to a back room with the pre-orders box.

Hannah shook her head and went back to her comic book. It was slow today, as only she, Kent, and two other people were in the front of the store. Hannah was only vaguely aware that Kent was coming an inch closer every few minutes. When she looked up again, she noticed he was right beside the check-out counter. "Will that be all for you today, Kent?" Hannah asked, in her chirping voice.

Shocked, Kent nearly threw his magazine in the air. Hannah giggled and watched him put the magazine on the counter. "S-sorry, Hannah." Kent tried to control his stutter. "I must have been so engrossed in it, I didn't realize I was walking to the c-counter." Kent placed the comic book on the counter, despite having no plans to buy it in the first place.

"Captain Cosmos?" Hannah asked, looking at Kent with skeptical eyes. Captain Cosmos was, truth be told, more for kids than adults. The pajama-like costume, the cheesy ray gun that sparked and made silly sounds, the monkey sidekick; all very childish to the distinguished comic book reader. Despite the poster over his bed, Kent hadn't actually read an issue of Captain Cosmos nor had he listened to the radio serials or watched the show in years. Kent and Buster didn't have a television in their apartment, since their parents took it with them when they moved. They were happy with the radio, anyway.

Kent chuckled and tried to look innocent. "W-what can I say? I'm a s-s-softy for nostalgia." He tried to laugh it off, and when that didn't work, he tried changing the subject. "So, h-how are you today, Hannah?"

With a laugh, Hannah shrugged and turned her attention back to the register. "I'm fine, I suppose." She sighed, ringing Kent's comic up. "I have a short shift today. In fact, I get off in about two minutes." Hannah put Kent's comic book in a paper bag and handed it to him with a smile. "Did you catch last Friday's Silver Shroud?"

Kent smiled, ignoring the paper bag he was hugging close that contained the comic he didn't want in the first place. "Oh y-yeah. It was great. Did you?"

Hannah nodded. "I loved it! I can't believe the Mistress of Mystery is back on the show! I love her so much! There aren't enough good female heroes nowadays. A lot of female villains, though. Have you read those Grognak comics with the Ant-Agonizer?"

Kent chuckled. "Oh man, did I? I have every issue at home. I swear, storylines with her are so cheesy. I mean, the p-power to control ants? Manta Man is more useful!"

"And that costume! Could they have drawn anything more stupid looking?" Hannah laughed. "No self-respecting hero would _ever_ take a villain dressed like that seriously. She'd look more menacing wearing a trash bag for a dress and a colander on her head!"

They laughed for a bit and then stopped. Kent looked around and then back to Hannah. "Hey, I've b-been meaning to ask: are they _really_ shooting the Silver Shroud pilot episode here?" Kent asked, his eyes almost glowing with anticipation.

Hannah nodded. "Upstairs, right above the manager's office and the break room. They turned the entire attic/storage area into a set with cameras, sets, props, sound equipment, the works. They even turned the spare bathroom up there into a dressing room for whoever they got starring as the Shroud. I'm not allowed up there, though. They usually do all the production stuff when the shop closes so the customers won't bother them. I went up there to find the manager the other day and one of those guys on the crew yelled at me."

Lately, if the store was quiet enough, Kent could hear the sounds of feet stomping overhead. He never knew what that sound actually was, but now he knew. He knew for a fact that there were offices above them, one being the manager's, and a breakroom as well. What the other floors were used for before the pilot shooting, Kent didn't know.

Hannah looked at her watch just as the Manager walked back to the front of the store. "Alright, Hannah! Off the clock before I have to pay you overtime." He shouted playfully, bringing out a box of comics and magazines to stock.

"Are you sure you don't need me anymore today?" Hannah asked, going to the backroom to punch her timecard.

"It doesn't normally get busy on Fridays until school lets out. In the mornings, we have a few of the usuals, like Kent…" The Manager smiled at Kent and put the box down. "…but nothing I can't handle until the evening guy gets here."

Kent heard Hannah punch her time card in the back and watch as she reemerged with her purse and hat. It was warm that day, so she didn't have a jacket. Kent started heading toward the door when he felt a soft touch on his shoulder. "Hey, Kent, do you have any other plans today?"

Trying not to panic, Kent shook his head. There were no maintenance needs around the apartment building, which was strange for a Friday. Ever since Mrs. Gladstone moved out on the insistence of her daughter, things around the building were actually running smoother. He assumed that people weren't overusing their appliances anymore, since they didn't want to leave their apartments and chance seeing the senile old woman in the hallway and get trapped in another conversation about her cat. Kent was worried, but not enough to consider finding outside work. Though earlier, he had been considering calling up Mr. Glass (if he was home) and seeing if the job offer at Wilson Atomatoys was still available.

"N-no, I don't have any other plans today." Kent said, forgetting once again that he promised Buster he'd go to the barber's today.

Hannah smiled wide. "Swell! Do you want to get something to eat? I haven't had anything since breakfast and I'm starving!"

She didn't see Kent turn beet red and try to hide it with his hat. He didn't think about this when going out today. He wasn't ready for this. He liked Hannah a lot, but he never actually thought about asking her out up until now. But it wasn't a date, was it? It was just two people having a bite to eat. People do it all the time, right? Buster sometimes ate lunch with that one lady reporter whose name Kent could never remember and it was never considered anything other than professional by Buster. But Kent and Hannah didn't work together. They were barely friends. Maybe Hannah wanted to be friends but then again maybe she wanted to be more and she was making the first move. Kent thought the guy was supposed to make the first move, that's how it works in the comics and magazines…

"Sure! I'd like th-that!" Kent's mouth semi-shouted before he thought it.

Hannah gave him a big smile, grabbed his wrist and led him away. "Great! There is this diner nearby that I wanted to try out! Come on!" Hannah giggled and pushed the door open. Kent looked behind at the manager, who saw everything. The Manager gave Kent a thumb's up as Hannah led him out the door.

Kent was in a dream world. Here he was, Kent Connolly, about to have lunch with Hannah Howard, the girl who had occupied his mind for the last two weeks. Hannah Howard. Over the course of these weeks, he had talked to her more and more each time he saw her. But up until now, asking her out was not a part of the plan he had made in his mind. His schedules, his plans, everything seemed to explode into nothing the moment he met Hannah. And as he was being dragged down the street, a few blocks away, to a diner he'd only been to once with Buster, for the first time in his entire life, Kent didn't care.

Before he could say anything, Kent and Hannah were sitting in a booth of a small diner a few blocks away from the comic book store. Kent only ordered a sandwich and coffee, thinking the caffeine would calm his nerves (it didn't), while Hannah ordered a burger and a Nuka float. Kent remembered she had a thing for Nuka floats. Kent saw Hannah looking out the window at the scenery. This diner was pretty small, but it had its charms. Drumlin Diners were usually small, from what Kent knew of them. Placed at highway rest areas and in busy downtowns for on-the-go eaters.

Kent was trying his hardest not to be awkward, and he felt Hannah could sense that. "So, Kent, what do you do for work?" she asked, sipping on her Nuka float.

Clearing his throat, Kent looked down at his sandwich. "I w-work maintenance in my apartment building." He started. "I've always been good at building and fixing things, so it just seemed pretty natural that I work with…stuff like that…"

Kent felt stupid, but felt reassured when Hannah smiled. "That's pretty neat." She said, playing with her straw. "I should have you come work maintenance in my building! Every time I call the guy about the weird sound my radiator is making, he's usually hungover or tries to claim he just fixed it when I was out. I've tried to get the building manager to fire him, but apparently they're cousins and he can't fire someone without having a backup."

With a relaxed smile, Kent sipped his coffee. "Buster, my brother, h-he used to buy me these model kits when we were kids. I started with those, then moved up to bigger things. Soon, I was fixing Ma's stove and building stuff for Pop out of wood from my shop class." Kent chuckled a bit. "P-probably the only time h-he didn't look at me like I was from Mars."

Hannah looked at Kent and could feel his sadness. "Not very close to your parents, are you?" she asked, hoping not to sound offending.

Kent shook his head. "Ma and Pop were good people, b-but they n-never seemed to 'get' me, you know? They tr-tried, but most of the time, they left me to myself." Kent didn't know if he should be revealing so much about himself to Hannah. She looked genuinely interested, but he wasn't very quick to trust. But the way she looked at him, with her big blue eyes filled with interest, Kent felt he could tell her he actually was from Mars and she'd still be listening, even if she didn't believe him.

The diner around them bustled, but to Kent, it felt like he and Hannah were the only two people there. Nothing else mattered and Kent felt completely comfortable. "My brother, Buster, now he's something else entirely. He never made me feel like I was any different from any other kid on our block. Buster is my older brother, never made me feel like I was below him. He's a smart guy, and I think he could see how it made me feel to see others lavish praise on him. He never let it get to his head. When our parents moved out west after Pa got a new job out there, they let Buster and I stay in our apartment, since I was only in high school and he was in college at the time."

Hannah finished slurping her Nuka float and looked up. "My parents and my brother's relationship has always been strained." She started, as the waitress came to take her empty glass. "He was hotheaded, which he got from my Dad, though he denies it. He left home almost the second he turned eighteen and that was the last we had heard from him until earlier this year. Mom was shocked to hear he was coming back from Anchorage, though she was even more shocked to hear he was there at all! My Uncle Nate had been to the front lines, but I guess they weren't in the same unit because Uncle Nate said he never saw my brother. I think Mom and Dad both cried when he walked in from the street with his helmet under his arm." Hannah looked like she was about to cry as well, but she didn't. "Uncle Nate left the army after they sent him home, but my brother wanted to stay a soldier. They stationed him in the D.C. area and my parents followed, hoping the patch things up with him."

Kent liked this. He was talking to the girl who had invaded his mind and he wasn't bumbling over his words like an idiot. Both Kent and Hannah looked outside and saw the people walking by. Kent liked to people watch, sometimes making a game of guessing what kind of people they were outside of their "The World is in Turmoil and I'm Definitely Not in Denial" mindsets.

"How did you end up getting interested in comic books?" Hannah asked.

For Kent, asking how he became borderline obsessed with The Silver Shroud would be like asking a dog why it barks. "I guess I've always had a thing f-for comics and radio serials and such. A-as a kid, when I felt alone or sad, I'd pick up a comic book and start reading. In those p-pages, anything is possible. I-I can be anyone, or explore any world. After a while, it all just went from there." He felt silly for saying such a thing to Hannah, but was surprised when she didn't laugh at him.

"I guess it was the same for me." She mused. "I guess, really, I've always been a bit strange. When all the other girls were going on about dolls and their play kitchen sets, I would sit with my brother and read his comic books with him. They seemed so much more…" Hannah was looking for the right word and then it came to her. "…real, you know? It's silly, saying a comic book about a barbarian battling monsters in a prehistoric land seems more real than a doll, but the adventure was a lot more interesting."

Kent was blushing, but he hoped Hannah couldn't see that. She probably could, because she was blushing too.

After their bill was paid, Kent and Hannah left the diner. He wasn't sure what was going to happen now. He wasn't sure if she was going to thank him for lunch (being a gentleman, he paid) and leave him, or if they were going to stare awkwardly at the pavement until they parted ways.

"Hey, look!" Hannah shouted, pointing down the road. Kent looked over and saw a military truck heading down the street. It was unusual to see military vehicles in the city, at least until last Friday. "There was one on my street last night." Hannah whispered, standing close to Kent. "I don't think they were setting up a check point, because only one guy got out and he was looking up and down the block. It was just after the news program, and I was getting ready for bed. I saw some lights out my window and there they were. They were a few buildings down for about an hour and then they left."

Kent unwittingly followed Hannah down the street as she tailed the vehicle. Obviously, she wouldn't be able to keep up, but she stopped at the end of the street and watched them roll away. "There was a check point a block or so from my place last F-Friday." Kent said, catching up to her. "I don't know why it was there. But Buster tells me they are all over the place."

Hannah leaned against a light post to catch her breath. "You think it's going toward Fort Hagen?" she asked.

Kent shrugged. "I don't know. I've never been to Fort Hagen, so I don't know what direction it'd be in."

Taking a deep breath, Hannah stood up straight and walked to Kent. When she stood close to him, it was easy to see she was shorter than him. Kent was pretty tall, but he hadn't measured himself in years, so he might have only just looked tall being so thin and gangly. "Kent, can I tell you something?" she asked, making sure they were alone.

Kent tried not to give his goofiest smile, but felt himself failing. "S-sure, Hannah!" he almost shouted. "You c-c-can tell me anything!"

Hannah took off her hat and looked in the direction the military vehicles went. "Something is on the horizon. My brother told me last time I talked to him on the phone. Everyone is denying it, but at the same time, they're getting ready for it. He didn't have clearance to know everything, but he told me he heard some of the higher ups talking. Something bad is coming and they've increased military presence in the capitol. Why, I'm not sure. I read in the papers a few weeks ago that the President isn't even in the White House anymore! Official statement is that he's on 'vacation', but what kind of president goes on vacation when there is so much going on?"

"Buster talked to the g-girl that did that report. He said she was lucky she even got it on the front page at all. This was b-before the editor wanted to keep panic from happening. I'm not sure what changed between then and when my brother published his story about the food riots in Roxbury." Kent and Hannah found a bench and sat down. Kent didn't look at her. He kept remembering what Buster told him. It stayed with him for reasons he couldn't explain. "Buster says the world is in denial. And I th-think he's right. Looking at all the people and knowing all the things he knows, he says he doesn't make sense."

Hannah nodded and looked out on the street. "Denial seems to be the American Way, lately. Radio and television tells us to just keep calm and carry on, but how can we knowing what we know?"

Not much of a philosophy student, Kent just twiddled his thumbs. "I don't think it'd m-matter either way." He said. "Even if something big is on its way, all we can do is enjoy the time we have now. Do stuff we like while we still can." Kent had forgotten he was still carrying around his recent purchase. The issue of Captain Cosmos that he didn't even want still sat in the paper bag. He had no idea what he was going to do with it. Perhaps he'd give it to little Marlene next time he saw Mrs. Glass.

"You're right, Kent!" Hannah smiled and stood up. "We shouldn't be worried about what _could_ happen. We should live for today!"

This sudden boisterous behavior was shocking to Kent. He couldn't believe this girl, and yet he was listening to her. She was worried, but not scared. Kent didn't think it was possible to not be both at the same time. He was always worrying about something. Just that morning, he was worried that Hannah wouldn't notice him. But she did notice him. She asked him to lunch and she talked about her life to him. This was moving fast for Kent Connolly. But at the same time, he didn't care.

As they walked back toward the city, a big blue van passed by. "Vault-Tec…" Kent mumbled, putting his hands in his pockets. "I saw one of those vans outside m-my building the other day. I think one of the families in the nicer units upstairs got accepted. Buster put in an application for me and him a while ago, but I don't think we got accepted. For weeks, all B-Buster talked about was 'Vault-Tec' this and 'Vault-Tec' that and 'Wouldn't it be gr-great to live underground, Kenny?'" Kent cleared his throat. "Then one day, the mail comes in, I see a blue envelope with Vault-Tec written in big yellow letters on the front. Buster took it into his office, but he didn't come out with it."

"Why not?" Hannah asked, as they waited for a crosswalk light to turn.

Kent shrugged. "I didn't want to ask him. He looked disappointed. I guess we didn't get in a-and he didn't want to d-d-disappoint me." Kent rubbed his left arm and tried to still his quivering body. "But I don't care if w-w-w-we didn't get in. If worst comes to worst, we'll hide in the basement until it blows over. If you ask me, they're up to something. I mean, big, underground houses aren't exactly cheap to make and they're just letting people in for free?"

"You think it might be a front for something?" Hannah whispered as they joined a group of pedestrians crossing the street.

Before Kent could respond, he and Hannah were stopped by loud shouting. It wasn't a drill or a riot, but a homeless man shouting at the top of his lungs at anyone who would listen. Hannah grabbed Kent's hand in fright, and Kent blushed. He didn't have time to feel butterflies in his stomach because he was scared to death of this man.

"THE GOV'MENT IS LYING TO YOU!" The man shouted at the top of his lungs. "They take every hard earned cent and use it to fund their illuminati free mason sex parties. They are funding cities on the moon for the elites while we burn in the ashes of atomic suicide! Don't let the gov'ment take your money! They'll take your minds, too! Listen to Soup Can Harry! Run for the Vaults! Bury yourselves away from the liars in the White House!"

Two police officers came and quickly took the man away, but Kent's heart was pounding like a jackhammer. Hannah let go of Kent's hand and watched the two police officers escort the man to a blue van. It didn't look like a police paddy wagon, and it had yellow lettering that looked familiar but neither got a chance to read when it zoomed off with the homeless man inside.

"That was certainly strange." Hannah remarked. "Vaults seem to be the topic of today."

Kent chuckled and let Hannah lead the way. "Buster told me about a Vault they are building a block or so from the Commons, near the old Freedom Trail. One of his coworkers did a puff piece on it for the society page. Vault 114, I think he said. They closed off Park Street Station to build the stupid thing."

"Seems strange to build it in the middle of the city. All the other Vaults I know of are on the outskirts of town. I heard a rumor about them building one under a school, but that's just silly." Hannah said, though she didn't laugh.

The walk became silent after a while. Kent didn't realize that they had unconsciously walked to his building and were now standing outside of it. To Kent, this all felt wrong. Wasn't the guy supposed to escort a girl to her building? His head started to hurt.

"I had fun today, Kent." Hannah said, after a short silence. "You don't have to worry about me getting home. I'll catch the bus from here."

Kent smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "I-I had fun too, H-H-Hannah." He stuttered. "We should d-definitely do it again some time."

Hannah gave Kent a big smile and watched as she approached the bus stop. Hannah Howard enjoyed being around Kent. He felt good. This big boost of confidence Kent hadn't felt in years, if ever, washed over him like a spring rain shower. He didn't want to waste this feeling. He knew once she stepped on the bus, he would need an excuse to go to the comic book store to see her. He wanted to see her again before that, or at least talk to her again. She brought out something in him he couldn't explain. No, he'd let opportunities pass him before, but he wasn't going to just let Hannah walk away from him.

"Hannah!" Kent shouted, before Hannah reached the bus stop. "Hannah, do you…I mean, if you w-w-w-want to, maybe, sometime, if you f-f-feel like it…maybe go see a m-m-m-m-movie or something?" He blurted out without thinking again. "I think they got that new Vera Keyes movie playing at the Starlight Drive-In over in Concord next Friday. I wasn't g-g-going to see it because it's all the way in Concord and I don't have a car and Friday is when the Silver Shroud airs and truth be t-t-told I think her movies are kind of c-c-corny, but I-I-I would really…like…to take…you if…maybe…"

Kent felt stupid and stopped talking right there. The sounds of the city echoed around him. He couldn't believe he'd be so stupid as to ask Hannah out of the blue. It seemed like a good idea and since they had just had lunch and talked about their lives, he felt it was inevitable. But things rarely worked out as planned, and he knew that. Kent could plan an entire day down to the last second, and something could throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing.

"I m-mean, the thought of s-s-someone like you w-w-w-wanting to go anywhere with a lump like me…" Kent chuckled, trying to play it off.

"Kent…" Hannah chirped, trying to get his attention.

"It's stupid, you know? G-going to the movies. To a romance m-m-movie of all things. Starring Vera Keyes? Ha-ha! Sh-she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag…"

"Kent…"

"And a dr-drive-in? Who t-takes a girl to a drive in when they d-don't even have a car?!"

"KENT!" Hannah shouted loud enough to make a flock of bird fly out of a nearby tree. Kent stopped what he was doing and looked down at Hannah. "Kent, don't be silly! I'd love to go see a movie with you!"

Trying to keep his knees from buckling, Kent stood tall and smiled. "You…you will?" he asked, not really sure why he did.

Hannah nodded. "Yes, I will! I'll borrow Uncle Nate's car and we'll make an evening of it. He won't mind, I'll just remind him he still owes me back babysitting money."

Elated by this, Kent held back the urge to jump for joy and wrote down his number on his copy of the receipt from the diner earlier. He tore it in half and let Hannah write down hers on the other. Once numbers were exchanged, the two waved goodbye to each other. Kent watched her get on the bus and ran inside after watching it drive away. Kent ran inside the building, hugging the number closely. He ignored the people in the lobby coming home from work and going out for the evening. He hummed a song, ignoring three different people asking him to come to their apartments to fix something. He made it all the way to his floor and to his apartment feeling like he was flying.

Kent threw his nearly forgotten comic on the table, not noticing it slide across and plop right onto the kitchen floor.

When Buster came home a few hours later, he found Kent in the living room, sprawled out on the floor with an open issue of Live & Love sitting on his chest. The radio was on, playing a song Buster didn't immediately recognize. Buster looked confused, though he didn't ask why Kent was on the floor staring at the ceiling with a dreamy look in his eyes. "Umm…Kenny? You alright there?" Buster asked, sitting on the couch.

"I've never been better in my entire life…" Kent mumbled.

Buster noticed a small piece of paper lying next to Kent. Thinking it was trash, Buster picked it up and noticed the number on it. "Ahh…I get it now." Buster said, with a teasing overtone. He put the paper on the side table, partially under an unused ashtray so it wouldn't blow away. "Kenny's got a girlfriend!"

Kent shot up, the magazine falling from his chest on onto the floor. His cheeks turned bright red. "Buster! I do n-n-not! Hannah is just my friend. We're…we're going to see a movie next Friday and…"

"Ooooohhh Hannah!" Buster sang. He made smooching sounds with his lip and Kent tackled him playfully. The two brothers' play fought on the couch for a bit. Laughter, cheer, sing-song teasing, it was like old times for them. The radio chimed with the Galaxy News Radio promo as the boys wrestled around. Buster, as always, was winning. Kent shouted for mercy once Buster started giving him nuggies. Unfortunately for Kent, their mother wasn't there to separate them this time.

Soon, the brothers were laughing on the couch, with Buster giving his brother a congratulating pat on the back.

 _ **When evil walks the streets of Boston, one man lurks in the shadows. Shielding the innocent, judging the guilty. That guardian is…the Silver Shroud! Today's episode: In the Parlor of Mysteries…**_

* * *

 **Hi, hi again!**

 **Having fun so far? I hope so! Things are going to get a bit messy soon! No, not like that, you perverts! This is rated T for a reason!**

 **We are officially at the half-way point for this story. Only a few chapters left! Oh, don't be surprised! I explained this last week! You can only do so much writing about the Pre-war days until you run out of material. It's hard doing research for Pre-war Boston. Some places are based on real locations and I want to get it as accurate as possible, both from a Fallout lore stand point and a real world stand point. I've never been to Boston, though I hope to visit it one day.**

 **I am hoping to give Kent a little more definition as the story goes chugging along. The game only provides so much, so I sometimes have to draw on personal experiences as a self-proclaimed nerd with very real dating and social anxiety.**

 **So, how did I do? Did I get anything wrong? Did I do well this chapter? Is there anything you think I missed or want to see? Let me know in a review and I'll see to it with the best of my abilities!**

 **Keep this crazy train chugging along! We need to do something while we wait for the DLCs to come out, right? So, help us kill some time and keep this story going by leaving a tasty review! Don't forget to follow the story and check out my Tumblr too! The link is in my profile.**

 **Kent Connolly and Fallout belong to Bethesda.**


	4. Midnight, the Stars, and Her

_Silver Lining_

Midnight, the Stars, and Her

 ** _Friday, October 8th, 2077_**

"-so, as long as little Marlene doesn't flush another pony miniature down the t-toilet, you shouldn't have any more problems, Mrs. Glass." Kent Connolly said, writing something on his clipboard. Fishing toys out of toilets and setting mouse traps in the basement was not how Kent wanted to spend this Friday. But that's how it was going. He had a dreamy look on his face as he did all of it. He barely even reacted when a mousetrap snapped at his finger earlier that day.

The call had come just as Kent had woken up. The building manager was panicking, saying a tenant had gone down to the basement, where the boiler room and the tenant storage area was located, and saw a mouse running around. Kent didn't know why he was being dragged out of bed for a little mouse. He didn't know any apartment building that didn't have at least one mouse somewhere in it, but the complaint came from a tenant in one of the nicer apartments upstairs, so of course Kent had to be right on it.

When he was done laying out the mousetraps, another call came. And then another and another. Soon, Kent found himself getting pretty acquainted with the inside of the elevator. Something sprung a leak, a door was knocked off its hinges, a garbage disposal jammed, broken thermostat; the list continued until it finally ended with Mrs. Glass's frantic call to Kent's apartment saying Marlene had flushed a pony toy down the toilet while playing "pony pool party", using the toilet as a Jacuzzi.

The Glass Family apartment was the last call on his list. He had started his day at 6:30am, which was an ungodly hour for him. It was now almost 6:45pm. Kent wanted to spend the day getting ready for his big night with Hannah Howard. He planned out every moment, down to what clothes he was going to wear. He was debating whether or not to go to the florist and buy some flowers. He could buy nicer flowers if he did these jobs today. That was his reasoning, anyway.

Kent finished what he was writing and gave a carbon copy to Mrs. Glass. "Thank you so much, Kent!" exclaimed Mrs. Glass, placing the copy on the dining room table. "I've told Marlene countless times that the bathroom is not a playroom." Mrs. Glass looked over toward the hallway, where Marlene stood with a guilty look on her face. She was squeezing a pony doll close to her chest.

"I'm happy to help, Mrs. Glass. Is there a-anything else I can do for you before I leave?" Kent didn't mean to ask that, but it was a force of habit. Kent just wanted to get back to his place, unplug the phone, and start getting ready for the evening.

Mrs. Glass smiled. "Oh, no thank you, Kent. I know you'd like to be at home waiting for that 'Silver Sheet' radio show."

"It's 'Silver _Shroud_ ', Mommy." Marlene chirped, coming to stand next to her mother. "His posters are all over the place."

Mrs. Glass giggled. "Oh, of course. Arlen and I haven't listened to a radio show in years. Not since we got that television. Marlene is particularly fond of that RALPHIE show about the flying robot. Arlen says that Wilson Atomatoys has been trying to get the rights to make RALPHIE toys since it first started airing. He already has designs for a line of little robot toys."

Kent smiled, said his good-byes, came back in just as Mrs. Glass offered him some cookies, and then left with a plate of cookies covered in plastic. He arrived in his apartment and set the cookies on the table after turning in his maintenance report to the building manager. Nothing was going to stop him this time. Anyone that called in would have to wait until tomorrow. It was the building rules that any maintenance needs after 7pm would have to wait until the next morning unless it was a dire emergency. He was back in his apartment and now he was going to get ready for his big night out.

Looking over at the clock (it read 6:57pm), Kent knew he only had an hour to get ready. Kent and Hannah were going to a Midnight Madness Double Feature at the Starlight Drive-In near Concord. Why a Midnight Madness showing started at 8, he didn't know. Of course, it could start at 6:17 in the morning for all he cared. If it meant spending time with Hannah Howard watching movies and discussing comic books, he'd be there. According to the program he had Buster pick up a few days ago, the evening would begin with a few comedy shorts and then the feature movies started at 9.

Kent didn't have a lot of suits. It was rare that there was an occasion that he needed to wear one. The last time he wore a suit of any kind was the awards ceremony for one of Buster's articles and even then, he had borrowed it from Buster because he'd grown out of the one he wore during high school graduation. Kent was wondering if a suit was too much for an outing at a drive-in movie. He wasn't sure what Hannah was going to wear, but he figured if they were going to be sitting in a car all night, he might as well be comfortable.

After picking out a simple pair of slacks and a button down t-shirt, Kent attempted to fix his shaggy hair in the mirror. He kept meaning to get a haircut, but he was constantly being distracted by one thing or another. Most of the time, those things involved comic books or Hannah. She didn't seem to mind how his hair looked, but Kent normally covered his hair with a hat. His lucky tan trilby that he got from Buster as a high school graduation gift, was usually Kent's first choice of headwear. But that was only because it was his only choice.

Many good points in Kent's adult life happened when he was wearing this hat, this included meeting Hannah Howard and her saying yes to the movies. He hoped many more good times would come as well. Kent went to his closet again and started rethinking the whole suit idea. "M-maybe Buster has some clothes I can borrow." He murmured, closing his closet.

Kent realized he hadn't really been in Buster's room since their parents moved out and he took over their master suite. He went in there one or two times when Buster wasn't feeling well to give him lunch and dinner, but other than that, never. He knew Buster wouldn't care if Kent borrowed some of his clothes, but he was still cautious.

Buster was going to be home soon, but Kent didn't want to wait until then to ask to borrow clothes. Kent slowly opened the door to Buster's room and went inside. Turning on the light, Kent saw that his brother's room was meticulously organized, almost like Kent's. The bed, which originally belonged to their parents, sat in the middle with a nightstand to one side. The dresser was on the opposite wall of the closet, and Kent walked toward it.

Kent opened the dresser and gave up after only finding undershirts, underpants, and socks. He walked to the closet and started rummaging through. As he shifted through suits and sweater vest combos, something blue caught the corner of Kent's eye. He looked over and saw the blue Vault-Tec letter on the night stand. Kent stopped his rummaging and walked over. It looked like the same one Buster brought in weeks ago and according to the postmark, it was. He had thought Buster threw it out. Kent wasn't sure why he was drawn to the letter. He knew what was in it. But his curiosity got the better of him. He picked up the letter and opened it.

 _To: Mr. Benjamin Connolly_

 _From: Vault-Tec Massachusetts Regional Office_

 _Regarding your application into one of our fine Vault-Tec facilities currently being constructed outside the city of Boston, we are writing to inform you that your family was not selected for inclusion in your chosen Vault-Tec facility. Your application has been added to a waiting list for your preferred Vault. The reasons may be as follows:_

 _1) Your selected Vault,_ **VAULT 114** , _is too far to travel in the event of a threat._

 _2) Your selected Vault,_ **VAULT 114** , _is already full._

 _3) You, or a family member, do not meet the criteria of standards for your selected Vault,_ **VAULT 114** _due to past employment, medical or mental status, or other unrelated reasons._

The list continued, but number 3 bothered Kent a lot. "You or a family member…" he whispered. He knew this was a rejection and he had accepted it, but never felt he might be the reason he and Buster would have to ride out any end of the world scenario in the boiler room of their building's basement. Kent sat on Buster's bed and read that line over and over. He didn't even hear the front door open nor did he hear Buster shout for Kent when he came in.

When Buster entered his room, he was surprised to see Kent sitting on his bed. He barely noticed his open closet. Buster wasn't mad that Kent was in his room without permission. Buster had nothing to hide from his brother. "Kenny?" Buster finally asked. He saw what Kent was reading and sighed. "Oh, Kenny. Geez, listen, I was going to tell you, but I couldn't find the right words. I felt so stupid hyping up Vault-Tec in front of you, I couldn't bring myself to tell you we were rejected." Buster sat down beside his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, it doesn't matter. I got a plan. Me and some coworkers-"

"-It s-said you or a family member d-d-didn't meet Vault-Tec criteria to enter Vault 114. It m-meant me, didn't it?" Kent asked, letting the letter fall to the floor.

Buster seemed taken aback by this question. "What? That's crazy, Kenny. They wouldn't let us in because the high-society types got their reservations in first. There's a reason the puff piece about that Vault was in the society pages. Look, we don't need them or their fancy Vault. A place that thinks it's too good for the Connolly Brothers ain't for us."

Kent shook Buster's hand off his shoulder and looked away. Buster tried to defuse the situation. Kent looked like he was about to have what his parents called "a moment". Kent had many when they were kids and it scared Buster each time. Most of the time, Kent would just stay in his room and mope until he fell asleep. There were instances, however, when Kent's anxiety got so bad, he needed to be taken to the hospital and those scared Buster more than just Kent moping.

"They think I'm cr-crazy, don't they?" Kent shouted. "They th-think I can't h-handle being around all those people!"

Deciding to nip this in the bud before it got bad, Buster cleared his throat and shook Kent lightly. "Look, forget them. Let's fix you up for your big night, huh?" Buster got up and went to his closet. He guessed Kent was probably looking for something other than a t-shirt, slacks, and his lucky hat to wear. "Hey, listen, girls say they want bad boys, but trust me when I say they'd rather go for the intellectual type and nothing says 'I've got brains' than a sweater vest and a bow tie."

Buster looked down at Kent and noticed he was still sad. Kent started rocking back and forth, which Buster knew wasn't a good sign. "If I'm not good enough to g-g-get into some underground tin c-can, then how do I know I'm g-g-g-good enough for Hannah?" Kent sniffled.

"Kenny, I'm actually glad we didn't get in." Buster said, sitting on the bed again with his brother. "Remember those borings parties Ma and Pop used to make us attend with all Pop's coworkers?"

Kent nodded. "It was t-torture. If it weren't for the snack table, I think I w-would have jumped out a window just to get out of there."

"Now, imagine that…" Buster continued. "…but going on forever and ever. That's what that Vault would have been like."

That thought made Kent shiver. He wiped his eyes, despite barely having any tears. "Sp-Spending an eternity at one of those swanky parties sounds more like H-Hell than security." Kent muttered, looking up at his brother and smiling. "You know, I-I think those Vaults are a front for something."

Buster didn't look surprised that Kent said that. Buster watched Kent stand up and go over to the closet. Buster joined him. Kent was slightly taller than his older brother, but Buster's clothes still fit him to a degree. The pants were often a little high, but everything else fit well enough. Buster took out a navy blue sweater vest and white long sleeve shirt combo that he wore on the rare occasion he dated. Buster didn't date much. He often said it was because he was too busy. Kent felt it was because Buster thought he needed to take care of his little brother.

"A front?" Buster asked, taking an outfit off a hanger. He tried to look unsuspicious, but knew it wasn't a good actor. He knew something, but Kent continued anyway.

"Th-think about it, Buster: those things have to be expensive. It probably cost a fortune to have Park Street Station shut down, and all those high society types like all the f-fancy stuff. And all we have to do is fill out an application and turn it in. No money exchanges hands, no credit check, n-nothing! I was talking about it to H-Hannah the other day when we saw a Vault-Tec van go down the street. I've been seeing them a lot lately. Heck, one was at our building last week." Kent looked at the sweater vest and nodded.

"Vault-Tec bought ad space in the paper recently." Buster said, helping Kent into an outfit. He sounded like he was admitting a big, scandalous secret. "Until recently, they'd only been on radio and television. I see billboards, posters at the bus stop, it's everywhere. It doesn't feel like advertising though. It feels more like recruitment."

Kent nodded. He felt the same way. He was starting to feel better about being rejected from the Vault program. "If all else fails, the b-boiler room seems to have survived over the centuries." Kent laughed, putting on Buster's outfit. "I mean, Washington brought that damn boiler over when he crossed the Delaware, and it's somehow survived."

Buster chuckled at Kent's joke. "Actually, Kenny…" he started. "…I already got a plan. I think this is a good time to go over it. You know my coworkers Mags and Tim?"

Despite only meeting them once, Kent nodded. "Yeah, I see you talking to them whenever I go to your work."

"There is a basement that no one uses at the Bugle. We stole a key from the janitor and we've been making it into a shelter since earlier this year." Buster gave Kent his hat back, but took it off again because it didn't match the outfit. "It's pretty inevitable that the worst will happen. When, I don't know, but in case it does, me, Mags, and Tim have been stockpiling the basement shelter with supplies for months. We each take turns checking on it to make sure no one has found it. That's why I sometimes get home late. Kenny, whatever happens, we'll survive this. We don't need a fancy Vault and we don't need some shmuck in a suit telling us we didn't get in for whatever reason. We'll get through this. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Kent felt reassured when Buster said that. Kent smiled and looked at the letter on the floor. "They used your real name. B-Benjamin. Not even Ma called you by your real name." Kent took off the navy blue sweater vest and tried on a tan one with a red bowtie. It matched his hat more and Kent was adamant about wearing his lucky trilby.

Buster laughed a bit. "I've been going by Buster for so long, I sometimes forget my real name is Benjamin. Hell, my paychecks even say Buster on them. The bank tellers don't seem to notice, either."

The Connolly Brothers stood there for a moment. Kent cleared his throat after a while. "I'm nervous, Buster." He said, after a long silence. "All those girls you set me up with in the past, not that I didn't appreciate it, but I never got the same vibe from them as I do for Hannah. Hannah and I like the same things and she's easy to talk to. M-most of the time, anyway. Sometimes, I get so tongue-tied that I don't know what to say to her. Maybe this wasn't a g-good idea…"

"Hey, listen to me, Kenny; it'll be fine. Try to imagine it like this: You're the Silver Shroud and she's the Mistress of Mystery." Buster stood back, watching Kent fix himself up. "Each time she finds herself in over her head, the Silver Shroud is always there to swoop in and help her out of her jam. He helps her. He doesn't solve her problem for her or berate her for not getting it the first time. They are equals. He isn't better than her and vice versa. Hannah is your Mistress of Mystery. Don't let some crazed Commie Scientist take her away."

Kent laughed, but decided not to point out the reference he got wrong with that last sentence, and tried to relax. He felt his chest tightening. "Buster, I-I don't think…" Kent started breathing a little heavy. Buster looked at his brother curiously, hoping what he thought was happening wasn't. "…I don't th-th-think I can do this…"

Buster put his hand on Kent's shoulder. "Kenny, don't give this Vault thing a second thought. To big corporations like Vault-Tec, we're no more than hamsters on a wheel. But who cares now, Kent. We're safe, no matter what." Buster knew he probably could have worded that better. Now he was starting to panic.

Kent stood there, trying his hardest to keep his breathing down. He grabbed his stomach and tried to look at his older brother. He felt dizzy and he could hear his heartbeat. This was not good. He couldn't already feel himself loosing wind. "Buster…I can't do this." He wheezed. "I c-c-can't do this tonight. I…I don't feel very well."

Buster knew what this meant. He loved his brother, and he wanted Kent to get out there in the world, but he couldn't risk Kent having another "moment" and Hannah not knowing what to do when this happened. He wasn't going to force Kent to do anything. "Alright, Kenny." was all Buster said as Kent left the bedroom in a rush. The apartment was quiet, save for the sound of Kent walking to the living room and the rotary phone being used.

"Yeah, operator, I need you t-t-to patch me through to Cambridge 5-9909…yes, Hannah? Hey, it's Kent. L-l-listen, I'm not feeling so hot tonight, so m-m-maybe we should skip the movie…yeah, I w-w-was looking forward to it too…I don't want t-t-t-to tie you up, so I'll c-c-call tomorrow."

After going to his room to lay down, Kent thought about everything Buster said. "He says it's okay that we didn't g-get in, but I know he's just trying to make me feel b-better." Kent went to his mirror and stared at himself. "L-Look at me." He mumbled to himself. "I'm tall, I'm g-g-gangly, and I can't even remember to get a haircut. H-H-Hannah would be nuts to g-go out with a lump like me." He reached for his brush and nearly knocked over his Silver Shroud action figure. He had posed it on his dresser vanity and it stood, ever vigilant, in the manner Kent posed it when he took it out of the box. "I bet y-you were never this nervous, right Shroud?" he asked, attempting to brush his hair. He gave up after a minute and dropped the brush on his floor.

The figure didn't respond. It stood there, in the iconic Silver Shroud pose that took Kent an hour to get right. It looked rather lonely on his dresser, despite being surrounded by all the robot figurines that Kent had assembled over the years. Kent wondered if they were going to release more action figures in the Unstoppables line. A Mistress of Mystery to keep the Silver Shroud company would be nice. Of course, Kent would have to buy two; one for the Silver Shroud, and one for Hannah.

"I really liked Hannah, too." Kent said, as if talking to another person. "She's sw-sweet, she's funny, and she's easy to t-talk to. Not like those other girls that Buster set me up with a while back." Kent chuckled and brushed his hair. "Man, Buster says the world is in denial, and he wasn't k-kidding with those ladies. All they talked about were new clothes they bought at Fallon's, or how they had to take their Mr. Handy robot butler in to be serviced for something m-minor and stupid. But Hannah…"

Kent looked down at the action figure. Once again, it did nothing. Kent smiled and picked it up. He wondered if Hannah had a Silver Shroud action figure. Kent nodded to the doll, as if responding to a question and then set it back down. Kent walked over to his bed and laid down, curling into a ball and holding the action figure close. He looked over at his alarm clock after a while. It read 7:30. If it weren't for his damn anxiety, Hannah would be pulling up in her uncle's car and coming up to meet him.

"She sounded disappointed on the phone. I b-b-bet she never wants to see me again. Nothing turns a g-g-girl off than a shmuck with a stutter and anxiety issues." Kent couldn't believe he was letting his anxiety ruin his perfect night. Once again, this bugaboo snuck up on him and took control. He wanted to run out of the apartment and go find Hannah, just to see her. But he couldn't risk having a "moment" in public and not being near Buster. Buster knew what to do in such a case. Hannah would probably panic and leave him there and swear to never date a "freak" like him. Kent covered his ears, letting the action figure fall to the floor.

Hoping he was imagining things, Kent thought he heard the buzzer for their apartment make its horrible buzzing sound. He made a mental note to fix it. Another thing he put off.

"Connolly Residence." He heard Buster shout into the intercom. "Oh! Well, come on up. Third floor. First one on the right, you can't miss it."

"Maybe Buster ordered take-out for dinner." Kent mumbled. Not many places delivered, but some did. "Might as well eat s-s-something. Not that I can ever show m-my face at the comic shop again."

Walking out of his room and into the main living area, Kent was nearly knocked off his feet. Hannah Howard stood in the doorway wearing the same blue dress he first saw her in. She had on a cardigan over it as the night was pretty chilly. Hannah looked like a miniature (and younger) version or their mother wearing little white gloves and carrying her purse on her arm. She had some kind of dish in her hands. Kent looked over at Buster, who apparently saw this resemblance as well. Their mother would stand in the same way by the door when waiting for her husband and sons to be ready to go out.

"So, I finally get to meet Hannah Howard." Buster teased, putting his hands in his pockets. "I'm Buster, Kent's brother. You know, Kent speaks praises of you."

Kent started to turn red. He practically jogged to them before Buster could say any more. "Hey, H-H-Hannah." He stuttered. "Look, I'm sorry about that call earlier. I j-just…"

"You sounded a little sick on the phone." She started. The look on her face let Kent know she understood and wasn't going to fault him for anything. "I know going to a movie would be a bad idea if you're not feeling well. So, I decided to make brownies for you." She presented the dish to him. "It's the instant stuff, though. We didn't have everything in the communal kitchen make them from scratch. Brownies always make me feel better when I'm…" she was looking for the right words. "…not well…"

Hannah nodded but then turned to Buster. "Kent says you're the same Buster Connolly that wrote that piece about the Roxbury Food Riots." She chirped, gripping her purse. "I'm glad you wrote it, even if it did end up on the back pages. I used to live over in Roxbury before I started college and my parents moved. It wasn't so bad when I left, but things got a lot worse. They passed your article around in between classes at my college. It really got us talking. Though, what a bunch of college students think about world problems might be a moot point."

Buster smiled. "I'm glad people are talking about it. People need to look past the puff pieces and read real stories." Buster cleared his throat. He looked at Kent, who was blushing bright red. Buster looked at his watch and cleared his throat again. "Hey, it's about eight! I should get to my office and finish some work. You kids have fun out here!" Buster rushed out of the living room and both Kent and Hannah heard his office door slam.

"Listen, Hannah, I'm sorry I ruined our evening." Kent started. "I understand if y-y-you want to leave…"

"Kent…" Hannah started, putting the brownies next to the untouched plate of cookies on the kitchen table. "I don't care about that movie. Watching a cheesy Vera Keyes movie is not how I want to spend my Friday night and I know you don't want to, either. I know…" she looked like she was searching for the right words again. "…you'd much rather stay home and listen to the Silver Shroud than sit in some cramped car and listening to some overly dramatic romance movie. I hate romantic dramas, anyway,"

Hannah walked past Kent and walked over to the couch in the living area. She seemed to be examining it, as if she was the building inspector. The only difference is that Kent didn't like the building inspector who came around once a year to make sure it was still up to code. To him, it was like he was being judged for the one talent he was proud of (aside from a vast knowledge of comic books).

"I like your place." She chirped, putting her purse on the end table. "Much bigger than the dorm I share with three other girls. Your couch looks a lot more comfortable than that stiff bunk I sleep on." Hannah plopped herself down on the couch as if she lived there. She was already making herself comfortable. She could tell two bachelors lived here.

Not sure what to do, Kent grabbed some Nuka-Cola out of the refrigerator and grabbed the desserts from the kitchen table. He balanced all of this as he made his way to the living room. He placed all these items on the coffee table and then sat down next to Hannah. He noticed her hands were in her lap.

"So…" she started, looking for the words. "…if you ever feel 'sick' again, you know you can tell me. I understand. I know it's hard to go out and be among the people. Especially knowing what we know. But like you said the other day: we have to live the life we have now. But I won't rush you to do anything you aren't comfortable with. But don't think I'll accept sitting in your living room eating fattening desserts every time we have a date." She smirked, unwrapping the cookies Mrs. Glass gave Kent earlier.

 _Date?_ Kent thought. A goofy smile inched across his face. Wherever this was going, Kent liked it. He decided not to assume they were an item just yet. _Just because she called it a date, doesn't mean it's serious just yet. P-Play it cool, Kent._

Kent looked over at the clock and nearly panicked. He went to turn on the radio just as a Nuka-Cola advert was ending. "Hey, want some stove-top p-popcorn?" Kent asked. Hannah nodded and Kent ran to the kitchen to get the lone stove-top popcorn pan that occupied the cabinet. He made a mental note to go grocery shopping with Buster because now they had no dinner for tomorrow night.

The popcorn popping, the Nuka-Cola bottles being opened, and the sounds of the downtown crowd heading into the evening outside, Kent and Hannah looked more comfortable on the couch eating junk food than they probably would have sitting in a car at the movies. Kent brought the popcorn over just as the Galaxy News Radio promo started.

There was one couch cushion between the two. Kent still felt bad about not going to the movies. When he felt a warm hand take his, he instantly felt better. He wasn't going to rush this. Kent liked where this was going, but he wanted to take it slow. Hannah looked like she appreciated that.

 ** _When evil walks the streets of Boston, one man lurks in the shadows. Shielding the innocent, judging the guilty! That guardian is…the Silver Shroud! Today's Episode: Fat Fahey's Foley…_**

* * *

 **Hello, my dears! It's Luna Peachie again!**

 **So, everyone excited about the new DLCs coming out soon? I know I am! I bought my season pass before they jacked up the price and now I'm waiting for news of any kind. I'm super excited. I wish they'd add nicer options for settlements, though. I saw that update they did and I'm not impressed. You know what would we really useful? An option that lets you automatically scrap all the scrapables in a settlement with one push. There's probably a mod for that already, though. You know what would be SUPER DUPER useful? Something that gets rid of all the debris you can't scrap that just gets in the way. Again, probably a mod for that too.**

 **Concerning the stove-top popcorn I mentioned up above. It's pretty clear that Fallout's timeline diverged somewhere in the early sixties at least, when people were still fearing the cold war and it looked like the fifties were winding down. Stove-top popcorn has been around since at least 1967, and while I know it's not early sixties, I fudged the canon a bit since I couldn't find any microwaves in the Fallout world. Plenty of hotplates and stoves, though. And yes, I think the Connolly Brothers are the type of bachelors that eat popcorn for dinner in lieu of buying groceries. We all know someone like that.**

 **So, how did I do? Did I get anything wrong? Did I do well this chapter? Is there anything you think I missed or want to see? Let me know in a review and I'll see to it with the best of my abilities!**

 **We're getting close to the big event! Don't miss it! Keep this story going and send me some feedback!**

 **Kent Connolly and Fallout belong to Bethesda.**


	5. Ride of a Lifetime

_Silver Lining_

Ride of a Lifetime

 _ **Friday, October 15**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2077**_

The apartment building in Cambridge that housed the Connolly Brothers had a courtyard. By many of the tenant's opinions, it was a small, caught no sunlight except from morning until noon when everyone was at work or school, and only had one bench. That was the bench little Marlene Glass sat on, with her pony toys beside her. It was unusually hot for October, but the news said the weather would start cooling down by the next week and start feeling like autumn. Marlene's school was closed for drills, though her parents were never informed what kind of drills they were. Of course, as schools do, they only mentioned these "mandatory" faculty drills on Thursday, which meant Mrs. Glass had to find a babysitter for Marlene while she ran her errands.

Her first, usually best choice, was Kent Connolly, the building's handyman and friend of the family. Kent and his brother, Buster, didn't seem too surprised to see frazzled Mrs. Glass knocking on their apartment door that morning. With only scant details, Mrs. Glass had Marlene go inside the Connolly Brother's apartment and then left in a hurry. Kent, Buster, and Marlene stood in the entryway of the apartment with confused looks on each face.

After Buster had gone to work and Kent made his morning rounds with Marlene in tow, Kent decided to get to work on another project he had only recently started. This was thanks to Marlene's usually absent father, Mr. Arlen Glass. And the best place to do anything mechanical related was the usually unused courtyard so he wouldn't be disturbed or disturb anyone else. The building manager didn't mind, and was actually talking to Kent about having a little playground put in. Kent guessed that it was so any prospective tenants with children will come look at old Mrs. Gladstone's now vacant apartment.

"So, how long did Daddy have that?" Marlene asked, putting a pony beside another pony and making them walk together.

Kent scratched his head and looked down at the machine in front of him. "Your mother said he b-bought it a couple years ago, right before you were born. He wanted to show her how 'young and hip' he was when they were dating." Kent chuckled at the thought of Mr. Glass doing anything young.

"Daddy is kind of old, isn't he?" Marlene asked again.

"Well, Ma used to tell Pop that he was only as old as he felt." Kent laughed a bit. Marlene was one of the only people Kent felt at ease around; probably because kids weren't as demanding as adults.

It was no secret that Arlen and Cheryl Glass weren't very close in age. In fact, most people mistook Marlene for Arlen's granddaughter. Kent thought Arlen was at least a little over forty, but was surprised the other day, when he was given the machine he was working on, that Arlen was pushing fifty. Cheryl was barely a day over thirty.

"Arlen Glass, you get rid of that thing! You are almost fifty years old with a small daughter! You have no business riding around on that damn thing!" Cheryl Glass yelled to her husband on Saturday. Kent had been checking the mail and saw Mr. and Mrs. Glass arguing over something outside. It was one of the rare moments that Mr. Glass had a day off, and he was spending it with his wife and daughter. "You are not using the only day off you've had in TWO MONTHS to work on that thing. It broke down years ago and it's just been using up space in storage. I can't believe you brought it out TODAY of all days! Unless you plan on leaving it out for the garbage collectors, I want you to put that thing back in storage NOW!"

When the two saw Kent come outside to look at what they were arguing about, it was then Mr. Glass had an idea. He proposed to his wife that he'll let Kent work on it and if it's fixed by Friday, he'll sell the motorcycle and drop the matter. If not, it goes back in storage. Kent didn't like being dragged into the Glass' family matters, but he jumped at the idea of fixing up something he never tried before.

The machine in question was an old model Lone Wanderer motorcycle. It wasn't as sleek as the newer models Kent often saw zooming down the street, but it was cherry red and had Lone Wanderer on the side in gold (that was rusting off a bit). In truth, the design and the mechanics of the motorcycle hadn't changed much in ten years. It needed a new coat of paint, which Kent noticed off the bat, and according to Mr. Glass, it had an odd sputter when it started that isn't present in any model of the bike and sometimes had trouble starting up at all, among other things.

Kent spent most of his down time that week working on this machine. When his rounds were done and his reports turned in, Kent would go out to the courtyard, where the bike sat in an unused garden shed, and get to work. It wasn't easy, and it got expensive. He got money from selling some of his comics at Hubris, which broke his heart a bit. Hannah Howard, the object of his affections and the clerk, could see his heart breaking when he handed over some of his prized comics.

Buster was happy that Kent had something other than the Silver Shroud to occupy his time, but he got worried when it starting taking up more of Kent's time. Requests for maintenance were piling up by the phone and Buster was starting to get tired of taking messages from angry tenants. On Wednesday, Buster told Kent to take a break from working on the bike and do more than just his maintenance rounds before an angry mob kicked down their door looking for him.

As talented as he was at repair and maintenance, Kent did all the back requests in one day, finishing just in time for dinner. But on Thursday morning, Kent was right back in the courtyard, working on the motorcycle. Now, it was Friday, the day when he'd show them his finished product.

Marlene swung her feet and watched Kent as he tightened something and untightened something else. "Mommy says you're good at fixing things. And she's right! You fixed Buttercup's leg and now he hops better than ever! I bet you could get a job at Daddy's work making all the sick ponies feel better."

Kent smiled and sat on his feet as he worked on the bent kickstand. He had to buy a new one because the current one was too rusted and bent to fix. He was in the middle of installing the new one when Marlene jumped down from her bench and walked over to him. "Are you getting hungry, Marlene?" Kent asked, looking up from installing the kickstand.

"No, I'm fine. But I wanted to ask you something." Marlene help one of her pony dolls close, looking for the words. "Mommy looked worried listening to the news last night. They said that bad things are coming and after they said that, she called Daddy at work, saying something about a vault. What's a vault?"

Kent seemed taken aback by this. He was even more surprised the Glass Family hadn't already reserved a spot in one of the Vaults. Of course, with Mr. Glass being the head of the family, he probably wasn't home enough to sign any papers. There was still something bad stirring oversees. The news said so every morning. He didn't want Marlene to be worried, so he smiled at her.

"Well, Marlene, there are some bad people overseas that don't like us very much. They want what we have and they might hurt us real bad. So, this company called Vault-Tec is making these big underground hotels called Vaults where people can go to be safe in case those bad people decide to hurt us." Kent felt he should apply for a sales job at Vault-Tec with a pitch like that. It seemed to make Marlene feel better and she went back to playing with her ponies. It felt pretty hollow to Kent, though. He didn't know what else to say.

How could he explain to a little girl that everyone in the world, including her parents, were in denial about what was happening? He couldn't blame Marlene for not being more world weary. She was a kid. She had no control over what was happening.

"Mommy said she saw you talking to a pretty blonde lady the other day." Marlene blurted out. Kent dropped his tool and started shaking. "I've seen her come here before. One time, she came here holding a bag with a comic book in it. Another time, she came with brownies. I saw her out my window. She looks nice. Is she your girlfriend?"

Kent swallowed and turned slowly to face Marlene. "The p-p-pretty blonde lady is a very close friend of m-mine. Her name is Hannah Howard and she w-w-w-works at Hubris Comics."

Marlene smiled a mischievous smile. "You talk funny when you get nervous, Mr. Connolly. Daddy does the same thing with Mommy sometimes whenever he's in trouble. Are you in trouble with the pretty blonde lady?" Marlene leaned forward, almost knocking one of her ponies down.

Kent shook his head and went back to working on the motorcycle. It was quiet for a while after that. Someone's window was open and music was playing on the radio. Kent didn't recognize the song. Something about a wanderer and driving.

"Are you and Other Mr. Connolly going to get a television?" Marlene asked, apropos of nothing.

"We don't need one, we have a radio." Kent answered, searching for a tool in his kit.

"But I heard that they are making a Silver Shroud show for T.V. and I know how much you like him!" Marlene hugged one of her ponies close.

Kent remembered that they were making a Silver Shroud pilot, but he kept hearing rumors that it was constantly being delayed. Hannah, who worked at Hubris Comics where they were filming the pilot, didn't know much about it. She wasn't allowed up there and they did most of the work when the store was closed. Kent loved the Silver Shroud and if one had asked a few weeks ago, he'd have been all a twitter about seeing the Silver Shroud on the small screen. But now, even he, the most die-hard Silver Shroud fan, was having his doubts about the show.

It didn't stop him from swiping some of the posters advertising the show and putting them on his wall.

It was a little before noon when Kent decided he was finished. He stood back and smiled, satisfied with the end product. Marlene, after putting her pony toys in her little play purse, hopped down from her bench and stood beside him. As if by instinct, Marlene climbed onto the seat (with Kent's help) and rode the bike as Kent wheeled it to the side path leading to the front of the building. He was parking it in front of the lobby doors just as Mrs. Glass was pulling up in the family car. He wasn't expecting Mr. Glass to be there with her.

Mr. Arlen Glass was a tall man, an inch or so taller than Kent, with greying hair and a gruff voice that was probably the result of long hours in the office while smoking and brainstorming. He seemed to be telling his wife about working on new servos for legs on a new line of Giddyup Buttercup toys, though Mrs. Glass looked like she had no idea what he was talking about. She laughed a bit when he recounted one of the toys kicking a hole in the floor of a test room and nearly kicking an intern into the wall.

"See? Isn't it nice to get away from the office and take a lunch break with your wife?" Mrs. Glass teased as they approached Kent and Marlene. Mrs. Glass looked surprised to see them when Marlene ran up to hug her father. As Mr. Glass fawned over his daughter, Mrs. Glass walked up to Kent with her pocketbook out. "She didn't give you any trouble, did she, Kent?" Mrs. Glass asked, reaching into her purse and pulling out some money. Kent shook his head and appreciatively took the money. He tried to refuse Mrs. Glass' offer to pay him earlier before she left, but couldn't seem to talk her out of it. He secretly hoped she'd come by with some of her delicious cookies later, though.

"Oh, n-no trouble at all. I like having little Marlene around. She's g-g-good company." Kent put the money in his pocket and walked over to the motorcycle. "Well, what do you think?"

Kent presented the motorcycle to Mr. Glass, who was walking over with Marlene running beside him. "Mr. Connolly fixed your bike, Daddy!" Marlene shouted, going to stand beside the motorcycle. While Mrs. Glass looked pleased, Mr. Glass looked dumbfounded.

After explaining everything he did to Mr. Glass, who stood there with his mouth agape the entire time, Kent felt oddly proud of himself. He never doubted he could fix the motorcycle, despite all the work that needed to be done. Something about seeing a finished project made Kent giddy.

About a half hour later, Buster came home early from work. He didn't want to leave Kent with Marlene all day. Not long after Buster walked up, Hannah appeared as well. She had on a backpack, which Kent assumed was filled with books from her classes. He thought it was odd that she was carrying this around when she only had weekend classes. She had gotten off work and wanted to visit Kent. She knew he was working on something big, which is why he only came to the store to sell some old comics that week, and wanted to see how that was going. She didn't expect to see a fully functioning motorcycle sitting in front of Kent's building with Kent leaning over it.

"A Lone Wanderer?" Hannah asked, looking it over. She seemed more impressed that Kent fixed it up than she did about the motorcycle itself. "My brother had one in high school. Used to drive me to school on it. Mom was furious when he came home with it instead of the car he was supposedly saving for with that summer job. I think he sold it when he joined the army. You did a knock-out job on this, Kent!"

Mr. Glass just stared at the motorcycle, not noticing his wife smirk or Kent blushing from Hannah's compliment. "Y-yes, Kent certainly did a good job." He said, not actually expecting Kent to finish it. "It's a late model. The parts must have been hard to find."

Kent only shrugged. "Kind of, but the guy at the s-scrapyard let me have them at a reasonable price. Had to sell some of my old c-comic books to afford them." Kent rubbed his forearm a little and then went back to the motorcycle. He didn't see Hannah tighten her grip on one of the handles for her backpack.

"Wow, Kenny; I knew you were talented with a wrench, but even I didn't think you could fix up this monster!" Buster shouted, looking the bike over and under.

"Me either…" Mr. Glass murmured.

Mrs. Glass cleared her throat. "I believe the deal was if Kent fixes up the motorcycle by Friday, you sell the stupid thing and finally free up that space in storage."

Marlene looked up at her panicking father. He wanted to keep the motorcycle for himself, she could tell. "Yes, I did promise that, Cheryl." Mr. Glass admitted, sheepishly.

Kent cleared his throat. "It needs to be taken for a test drive to see if it works, still. I hadn't had a chance to do that, yet."

Mr. Glass smiled appreciatively at Kent. "Well, that's something. It needs to be tested before we can prove it works. Kent couldn't possibly have the proper license."

"Actually, I d-do, Mr. Glass." Kent chirped. "On Tuesday, right before I went to the j-junkyard and Hubris Comics, I went to the DMV and ch-changed mine over. I was the first one there."

Mr. Glass tried to think again. "W-well, you don't have a helmet! I can't, in good conscience, let you ride around on that thing without a helmet! If you got hurt, I'd never forgive myself!"

"Daddy, why let him use your helmet?" Marlene piped in. "You took it out of the closet the other night to show me, remember?"

Buster was finding this amusing, but didn't let Mr. Glass see him laughing. Mrs. Glass smiled, putting her hand on Hannah's shoulder. "And let's not forget the helmet you bought for me!" She said. "I'm sure Kent's 'friend' here would love to go on a ride as well, and she looks just about my helmet size. It's been sitting in that closet for so long. It's a little dusty, but nothing a wet rag won't fix."

Mr. Glass was out of arguments. He sighed, letting the little crowd know he conceded. "Alright, a deal's a deal. Kent, take her for a test drive. See if she handles well. If you make it back, I'll..." Mr. Glass looked like he had trouble saying the words he needed to say. He sighed. "…I'll sell the motorcycle."

"And?" Mrs. Glass glared at her husband with her arms crossed.

"…and I'll pay you back for the parts and labor." Mr. Glass said, sheepishly.

Kent, Buster, Hannah, Marlene, and Mrs. Glass cheered softly. The little crowd around Kent's new toy broke eventually, leaving just Kent, Hannah, and the bike. Kent had just finished wiping it off with the same moist rag that Mrs. Glass brought down along with the two helmets she had to wrestle out of Mr. Glass' hands. Kent stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow with his arm. "I can't b-believe I get to t-test drive a motorcycle."

"A motorcycle you took apart and built up again." Hannah corrected, walking around the bike a few times. "You'd make one heck of a car owner."

Kent never saw himself owning any kind of vehicle. He figured he'd be taking the bus for the rest of his life. But now, right now, Kent was polishing a motorcycle he took apart and built up again. The only things Kent ever had confidence in were his abilities to build and repair and his knowledge of comic books. Now, he had something else. He didn't want it to go to his head, though.

"I took apart a highly s-s-sophisticated motorcycle and p-put it back together again." Kent murmured.

"It is pretty surreal." Hannah said, looking the bike over again. "Surprisingly fuel efficient, from what I heard."

Kent wasn't sure about that. He hadn't gotten a chance to actually ride the motorcycle to see if it was or not. "It's strange. Being able t-to go anywhere and not have to abide by the bus schedule." Kent felt a bit of pride, like he owned this motorcycle. He then remembered this was only a test drive. As soon as he was done making sure it was still good for driving, he'd have to turn it back over to Mr. Glass so he could sell it. His excitement over the motorcycle soon waned a bit.

The motorcycle shook a bit and it was then he noticed that Hannah climbed on the seat. She had a big smile on her face and looked like she was waiting. "Well?" she shouted. "What are we waiting for? Let's take this puppy out for a spin!"

Not sure what to say, Kent simply watched as Hannah got on the back of the seat and started strapping on the helmet. Kent blinked a few times and caught the helmet she tossed at him. "T-take it for a spin? I just b-barely finished working on it!"

"Well?" Hannah shouted, happily. "Mr. Glass wants you to test drive it so it can be ready for sale. Let's give it a go before he comes back and changes his mind!"

Swallowing, Kent took his hat off and put the helmet on before straddling the motorcycle. He remembered learning to ride a bicycle as a child, but this was a whole new ballgame compared to that. He kick started the motorcycle like he had seen in movies and was happy to hear it sputter on. It made a loud roar as Kent made sure everything was working. The brakes were connected, the accelerator was functioning, and to Kent's surprise, it had a full tank of gas. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but there was no going back now.

Kent knew next to nothing about riding a motorcycle. "Alright, right side accelerator." He murmured, touching the handle with his index finger. "Left side, brake." He murmured again, his hand firmly squeezing the brake. Kent put his foot on the gear shifter and made sure. He wondered if she knew he had no idea what he was doing.

After the engine warmed up, Kent made sure no other cars were coming before finally taking off. He went slowly for a bit. He didn't want to risk hurting Hannah or himself on a machine he barely knew how to work. It seemed odd that he could build something but not know how to work it. Every fear went through his mind at that moment. What if they hit something? What if he drove right off the highway? What if he hurt Hannah somehow? He'd never forgive himself if anything happened to Hannah.

As these fears roamed around in his mind, Kent didn't realize that Hannah had started holding onto his waist. Before he knew it, they were out of the city and on the road. He had never felt anything so free in his entire life. The wind in his hair, the feel of Hannah's arms tightening around his waist. He didn't know where he was going or how he was going to get there. All that mattered was that Hannah was holding tight to him and along for the ride.

"This is amazing!" Kent shouted over the wind.

Hannah laughed loudly as Kent sped up. "My brother used to scare my mother half to death riding around with me on the back of his bike! When he accidently drove it into the neighbor's trash can with me still on it, she forbade him to ever let me ride it again! No one was hurt, but it was still funny to see her screaming!" Kent could barely hear her over the wind. He was a bit wobbly with the bike at first, but soon it became as natural as walking.

Maybe it was serendipity or possibly destiny, but Kent found himself driving the motorcycle away from Boston proper and on the highway going north toward Revere Beach. He wasn't sure what was making him go to this specific place, but he wasn't going to stop now. This was probably the most adventurous thing Kent had ever done, aside from talking to Hannah. He had an urge to smell the sea air and hear the gulls flying overhead. He had the urge to share this with Hannah. As if sensing this, Hannah pointed to the right turn off and Kent pulled in. It felt like he and this machine were one.

Kent pulled into a free spot near the boardwalk. While most of the businesses looked closed for the season, some were still open. Kent thought it was probably because it was unusually hot and some people wanted to take advantage of the weather before it started getting cold.

For the longest time, Kent and Hannah sat on a bench near one of the only opened shops. Hannah's backpack sat in between them and for a little while, both forgot it was even there. It was late afternoon, some of the beachgoers were packing up their cars and the seagulls seemed to be enjoying the spoils of waiting by the trashcans for old hotdog wrappers and partially finished bottles of Nuka Cola. Kent had bought them ice cream and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Something was on Kent's mind and he barely noticed his ice cream melting all over his hand. He was faintly aware of Hannah talking about last week's episode of the Silver Shroud.

"…and when the Mistress of Mystery threw her blade at Fat Fahey, I nearly choked on my drink! Remember that?" she asked, barely aware that Kent wasn't paying attention. "I still can't believe he took out all those mob bots by himself. He should have let the Mistress help him. I wish they'd stop trying to make her out into some damsel in distress. She's totally capable of being her own hero!"

"Hannah…" he started, giving up on his cone and tossing it in the nearby trash. "…look, I-I think I should tell you something."

Hannah looked up at him mid-lick.

Kent sighed. "Our date last Friday…"

"That? Kent, it's okay. You weren't feeling well." Hannah tried to go back to her cone.

"No, I wasn't s-sick like that. My parents always said th-that, but I don't want you to say it, too." Kent rubbed his head, trying not to say something he'd regret. "Ever since I was a kid, I've h-had problems. These problems have always been something of a 'bugaboo' in my l-life. The doctors called it 'anxiety', b-but there always seemed to be something more. I'd panic, curl up into a b-ball, and drown out everything until I either passed out or it passed over me. Sometimes, it got so bad I had to be t-taken to the hospital. My parents were good people, but I th-think they were in over their heads. One time, I heard them talking about taking me in for 'treatment' at the old Parson's Hospital. I don't know what that place is, but I knew it c-couldn't have been any better than the other places th-they tried to send me to. I didn't have a lot of fr-friends in school and Buster always felt he had to protect me. I don't want to be his b-b-b-burden anymore. But at the same time, I don't th-think I can make it without him."

Hannah didn't know what to say. She stopped licking her cone for a moment and tried to think of what to say. There was nothing she could say.

"It turns out, Buster did get a response back from Vault-Tec. We weren't accepted." Kent confessed as a seagull flew overhead and perched on a post. I w-was scared it was because of me. He kept saying it wasn't, but part of me still feels like it w-was. Maybe if I wasn't so anxious, we'd b-be on the list."

It went silent for a moment. The only sounds were the seagulls, the waves, and some beachgoers telling the other people in their group to hurry up and pack up the blankets. Hannah swung her feet a bit and looked out along the sands. "When I was a kid, I used to get teased a lot." She started. Kent looked over at her. She wore a bittersweet smile and kept her eyes on the beach. "The other girls thought I was strange because I preferred comic books and radio shows about super heroes than dolls and such. I didn't have many friends outside my brother until I was in high school. Whenever I was sad from the other girls teasing me or smearing mud in my hair or whatever horrible trick they would play on me, I'd run to my brother's room and take out his comic books. I'd read until it was dark and there was no more light to read to. I'd imagine the Silver Shroud swooping in to save me from the bullies and whisking me away like I was the Mistress of Mystery. What hurt the most was they judged me before they got to know me. If they had asked me, they would have known there was more to me than the comic books or radio serials. As I got older, I promised myself I'd never judge anyone at first sight the way those little girls judged me and that one day, I'd find someone who was just as strange, or just as comic book loving, as me. What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to pretend to be anyone else around me. Just be you. That's enough for me."

Kent smiled a bit, looking out on the beach. There was a boat going by in the distance. Kent realized he'd never been anywhere outside of Boston. He always felt he needed only Buster, their apartment, and the Silver Shroud. But now, Kent felt a yearning in him he never felt before. Kent stood up and motioned for Hannah to follow. Hannah threw away what was left of her ice cream and followed after throwing her backpack on. They weren't going anywhere in particular. He seemed to be following the boat.

"I want to travel." He said, stopping in front of a photo booth. "I never w-w-wanted to travel until recently."

"I want to finish college." Hannah said. "So I can travel the world and help people. I want to travel to other countries and help people." She looked over at Kent and smiled. "But…if something comes up, say a nice guy asks me to stay, I just might."

Kent blushed, feeling Hannah take his arm. He couldn't find the words he wanted to say. He looked around for a distraction and saw the photo booth. "H-hey! Look at that!" he shouted. He walked over to the booth and read the side. "4 shots for $25.00! That's…that's something, huh?" he stammered.

Hannah smiled and pushed him in. He wasn't going to avoid the obvious on her watch. The machine happily accepted their money and a few flashes later, the final product was dispensed out through the slot on the side of the machine. Both seemed happy with the results.

Before either of them knew it, they were zooming back toward Cambridge on the Lone Wanderer. Kent was reluctant to give it back to Mr. Glass, but knew he had to. Mr. Glass was probably wondering where they went off to on his motorcycle. Kent wanted to get home before Mr. Glass persuaded Buster to file a missing person's report. The ride back was just as sweet as the ride there. With Hannah holding on tight, Kent felt anything was possible now.

It was early evening when Kent dropped Hannah off in front of her building. Her building was a dorm on the Massachusetts Bay University campus not far from the main building. It had a group of girls standing out front, discussing something Kent couldn't make out. They all seemed impressed when Hannah pulled up on the back of a motorcycle. She got dismounted and opened her backpack. Kent's eyes widened when she pulled out a stack of comic books in a bag. "I bought them back from my manager after you left the other day. Here, take them. They're yours."

Kent shuffled through each of the comics and noted they were all here. "Hannah, you didn't have to do this." He said, trying to hand them back.

"No, they're yours." She said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Consider them a gift. And a bribing tool. I have one favor to ask."

"Anything, Hannah!" Kent semi-shouted.

"Next Friday, I want you to take me dancing." She said. Kent nearly dropped his comic books on the ground. "The college is having a charity dance next Friday and I really want to go. That weekend is going to be a big one for my family, and I want to have some fun before they arrive. I know it's a lot to ask, considering…well, everything, but I really think this will be beneficial for…"

Kent thought she murmured "us" but couldn't make out what else she said. Kent leaned against the handlebars and smiled. "I g-guess I owe you for that disaster last Friday. I'm sure I can fish out a suit for the event. Alright, I'll g-go with you."

Hannah smiled, hugged Kent tightly, and kissed his cheek. "I'll give you a call tomorrow with the details. Thanks for today! I had a blast!" Hannah waved to him as she walked through the group of girls and into her dorm. Kent roared off, feeling content about everything for once.

When Kent pulled up to his building, he was surprised to see Buster and Mr. Glass standing outside. Kent turned off the bike and dismounted. "Oh, thank goodness!" Mr. Glass shouted, speed walking over to Kent and the motorcycle. "I was afraid you'd run off with it! Cheryl already has a few potential buyers!"

Buster took one look at his brother, with his blushing cheeks and lucid expression, and asked what in the world he did all afternoon. It was then he noticed Hannah wasn't with him. "Where is Hannah?" he asked, as Kent gave the motorcycle helmet back to Mr. Glass.

"We're going dancing…" Kent murmured, walking past the two men and into the building. "I n-n-need a suit…"

With the night, came questions from Buster. Kent wasted no time telling Buster what had happened. Buster didn't say anything as Kent told him about how amazing it felt to ride down the highway and how he never felt so free in his entire life. Buster asked questions where it was appropriate, but still let Kent to all the talking. Buster even noticed that his stutter was going away. This only happened when Kent was comfortable talking about something. Spontaneity was something Kent didn't do, but now it seemed he was working his way into it. This gave Buster a sense of peace. Soon, he hoped, Kent would be able to do more on his own and wouldn't need to rely on his brother so much. They were so engrossed in conversation, they barely noticed the Galaxy News Radio promo playing on the radio.

"I'm glad you had fun, Kenny." Buster laughed. "Hey, guess what happened today at the office? I was going to tell you when I got home, but you apparently had other plans. I got tickets to next Saturday's World Series game! How about you and me go and witness history together, ehh?"

Kent smiled and sat back. For the first time in his entire life, Kent felt everything was going to last. And now, he prepared for the perfect end to a perfect day.

 _ **When evil walks the streets of Boston, one man lurks in the shadows. Shielding the innocent, judging the guilty! That guardian is…the Silver Shroud! Today's Episode: Into the Robot's Den…**_

* * *

 **Hi hi, everyone! I'll make this short:**

 **THE END IS NIGH!**

 **Sorry, I kind of had to. I've decided to make this story eight chapters instead of six. One for the Friday before the bombs, one for Saturday, and an epilogue. So, that's twice the story than when I first promised you! And that shit's free!**

 **So, looks like Kent's coming out of his shell, huh? Will the following events push him right back in? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out! And you know how you can keep this and my other stories going? By writing a review and telling me how I did!**

 **So, how did I do? Did I get anything wrong? Did I do well this chapter? Is there anything you think I missed or want to see? Let me know in a review and I'll see to it with the best of my abilities! And don't forget to follow the story and me on Tumblr for updates on the story and the occasional odd rambling.**

 **Oh! Want a good song to listen to that inspired this chapter? Listen to Nada Surf's "Cold to See Clear". Trust me.**

 **Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for work!**

 **Kent Connolly and Fallout belong to Bethesda.**


	6. Shut Up and Dance

_Silver Lining_

Shut Up and Dance

 _ **Friday, October 22**_ _ **nd**_ _ **, 2077**_

Kent Connolly accepted the fact that he was tall years ago. He was the tallest kid in school for most of his primary years and was even one of the tallest in high school. Kent, despite being a few years younger, outgrew his older brother, Buster, and now stood at least an inch or so taller. To most people, it didn't seem like much of a height difference. But to Kent, a few inches may as well have been a few feet. It became very obvious that Kent, while not the tallest man around, was still pretty tall.

This thought was being contemplated while Kent stared at himself in the mirror. Kent had bought two new suits earlier that week. A blue one, and a tan one. Tan seemed to look better on him, but blue would probably match whatever Hannah was going to wear.

 _Hannah Howard…_

He repeated that name in his thoughts all day. He couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be than with her. Kent was considering stopping at the store and getting some chocolates for Hannah, but realized that the convenience store would be closed by now. Even so, a lady like Hannah deserved more than just discount chocolates from the corner store. He had a gift in mind for her already and it was sitting in a small, newspaper wrapped package in his pocket.

Kent tried everything to get his hair to work, but nothing happened. It was shaggy, it was russet brown, and it was starting to get long. He had no excuse not to get a haircut now. Kent put his hat on over his impossible hair and decided that tomorrow, after the ball game, he was going to the barber if it killed him.

Shaggy hair or not, tonight was a big night for Kent. Hannah had asked him to escort her to a dance happening at her college, Massachusetts Bay University. Kent wasn't sure why things seemed to be happening in reverse for him. He always thought the guy was supposed to ask the girl to dances and socials and all those things he actually had no interest in. But Hannah was making all the moves. If his parents were still living with them, they'd mutter (unapprovingly) of "the modern woman" and how things have changed since they were kids.

When he finally gave up and fixing his hair and just decided to wear a hat over it all night, Kent left the bathroom and found Buster sitting in the living room. Kent had been in the bathroom for a good two hours at least, fixing up anything he could find wrong with his appearance. He had brushed his teeth so many times, the mint smell out-did his cologne. It was probably for the best, as the only cologne either brother had was the strange smelling stuff their father left behind in the bathroom.

Buster was reading what looked like an advance copy of an article one of his coworkers had given him earlier that day. This one, Kent could see, was by a reporter named Mags Veccio. Kent couldn't remember if he'd ever met her, but Buster spoke very highly of her. He particularly liked reading articles written by his fellow reporter, Mags Veccio. Kent wondered if Buster had a small crush on her.

"Mags did a good job reporting on that Eddie Winter bastard." Buster mumbled, not aware Kent was standing next to the couch. He looked over and saw his brother, but didn't seem too concerned about being overheard. "I did a piece on some crime bosses that worked for Winter a while ago."

Kent remembered that. Buster didn't want the assignment, but took it anyway because the Editor wanted almost his entire staff working on the Eddie Winter case. Kent read the last article Buster did regarding the Eddie Winter trials. Buster had uncovered evidence that another public works project might have been funded by Winter and the other Boston mob families. A secret source told him that the families were defrauding the public out of millions on a project that was going nowhere. He wrote how he believed they were behind the disappearance of a safety inspector that wouldn't take bribes and the article seemed to get the public's attention. It got other attention as well. The day after his article went public, the Connolly Brothers found a small unmarked box at their doorstep. Upon inspection, it seemed to contain nothing but a holotape with Buster's name on it (with Connolly spelled wrong, _again)_. Kent heard Buster put the tape in the portable holotape recorder he used for assignments, but didn't hear the tape itself. After a minute, Buster left the apartment with the tape in hand, saying he needed to check something downtown. He told Kent to lock the door and not to answer it no matter what until he came back. He also said to leave the apartment through the fire escape if anything happened. Kent remembered Buster sleeping in the living room that night, armed with a baseball bat.

Buster had been taken off the Eddie Winter story after that, though Buster felt relieved at not putting himself or his brother in any danger. Even now, sitting on the couch reading Mags' story, Buster couldn't believe Eddie Winter was going to get off scot-free. This made Buster, and everyone else working on the story, very upset. "After everything that scumbag did, he just gets a slap on the wrist and a chance to skip town!" Buster growled. Kent didn't know the details of the article and if it made Buster this mad, he didn't want to know.

"Is that this morning's paper?" Kent asked, holding onto his gift to Hannah in his pocket. "I thought we already got it."

"No…" Buster sighed. "This is for tomorrow's paper. Mags wanted me to proof read it for her. She's coming to get it tonight and it's going straight to the printers." Buster looked like he wanted to throw the report across the room, but didn't. As upset as Buster was, one would think he had to write the column.

There was nothing Kent could say to lighten the mood. "I heard about th-that Jennifer Lands woman." Kent murmured, fixing his tie in the reflection of the window. He was looking out onto the city below, hoping what he was about to say was a good idea. "She was the fiancé of one of the detectives on the case."

Buster sighed, put down the report and leaned on his knees. "Yeah, she was engaged to that Detective Valentine. I interviewed him a few times during the case. Great guy, and top notch detective. I was hoping to get another interview before…" Buster cleared his throat. "…well, you were here when that unmarked package came."

Deciding not to go into that horrible night any further, Kent went back to making sure he was fixed up right. "I h-hope everything goes right, tonight." Kent whispered to his reflection.

"And why wouldn't it?" Buster asked, now completely ignoring the advance report.

"I just…I don't know if I can do it, sometimes. I like Hannah a lot, b-but I just can't seem to get what I want to say out of my mouth." Kent sighed and started rethinking this entire evening.

Buster could see Kent was thinking of taking off the suit and running to his room to hide. Buster would not allow that anymore. "Kenny, you're going to that dance at Massachusetts Bay University. You're going to meet up with Hannah, you're going to sweep her off her feet, and you're going to have a good time if I have to follow you all night to make sure it happens! You can't retreat to your room every time you get scared of something new. If you did that, you'd never see all the great things in life. Yeah, things are screwed up with the world right now, but when you look past all that, you see the good things. I know the world is going to Hell in a handbag, but beyond that, I see my little brother becoming a man and finally getting over all the things that kept him from being happy. That gives me hope for this crazy world."

Kent nodded and asked Buster to make sure everything was set right on his suit. After some dusting off and readjusting the hat, Buster sent Kent on his way. He'd have to take the last bus to the university and then catch a cab home, since the buses didn't run that late.

Kent looked out the window and tried to keep his mind off how nervous he was. The night time buses took strange routes, he noted. This one was going right past C.I.T., the technological college. Probably to pick up students taking late classes, he assumed. Only two or three people got on at the C.I.T. stop, though. Kent had never actually been inside of the Commonwealth Institute of Technology. Very prestigious and secretive from what Buster told him. Every time he and Buster went anywhere near it for whatever reason, Kent got the feeling that it was a sterile, unfeeling place. He heard rumors that sometimes people volunteer for experiments and never come out again.

From what Kent knew, Hannah was going to Mass Bay (as it was referred to by most students), but he never asked what she was majoring in. He wondered if she was the artsy type. She might have been, given her interest in comic books. But she seemed to have at least a little technical know-how, so maybe she was an engineering major. As soon as Kent thought about stopping and getting flowers again, the bus stopped. Kent looked out his window and got up. He was hoping there was a flower stand or something nearby, so he could sneak some quick flowers for Hannah. That idea died when he saw Hannah waiting for him at the bus stop.

He disembarked only seconds before the bus left. There was no going back, now. He was here, she was right in front of him, and the bus was gone. _Nowhere to run now, Kent_ he thought. _You're here. You can't back out, now._ His gift to Hannah seemed to be burning a hole in his pocket.

"You made it, Kent!" Hannah fluted, grabbing his arm. Hannah practically dragged Kent to the courtyard of the University, where a large group of people were dancing, talking, eating, and overall having a good time. Kent felt himself relax a bit. The night was pretty crisp, but Kent still thought it was odd to have an outdoor celebration in the fall.

There was something wrong with all of this, and Kent felt this happy occasion was forced and all the students around him were doing their best to have fun. How the students stayed warm when they were so close to the river in the autumn was beyond him, but he still tried to blend in. He had noticed the construction equipment when the bus made its way there earlier, but figured they were probably expanding some of the buildings.

Kent noticed, before he could react, that Hannah was dragging him over toward a snack table that had been set up near a building that kind of looked like a bank. "Here, drink this!" Hannah shouted, giving Kent a paper cut. Hoping it wasn't laced with something, Kent took a slow swig. It tasted alright, for being watered down fruit punch. Kent looked around, noticing the decorations seemed rushed and so did the food and music.

Hannah's face didn't seem to share the forced happiness look that seemed to be going around. The music switched quite clumsily to an old Ink Spots song, but Kent couldn't make out which one. The sound system sounded like someone had put a microphone up to a holotape player's speakers and it might have been for all he knew. He couldn't tell where the music was coming from, only that the speakers squeaked and desperately needed to be recalibrated.

Kent's nervousness was replaced with pitied confusion, though he wasn't sure who or what he was supposed to be pitying. He looked over at Hannah, who seemed to be having a jaunty conversation with the girl that was running the food table. Something was definitely wrong, but like the rest of the world, the students here were ignoring it.

Feeling Hannah grab his arm, Kent tried to look like he was having a good time, despite how he felt. Deep in his mind, Kent was starting to wonder if his entire friendship with Hannah was just one elaborate practical joke. Kent started bracing himself for a public pantsing and the pointing and laughing part of this entire evening.

"So, you said this was s-some kind of charity event?" Kent asked, looking around. He was hoping the charity was to help them have a better dance next week.

"That's right." Hannah answered. "One of the clubs here at school is holding this dance to raise money to send goodie boxes to the soldiers rebuilding Anchorage. Since both my brother and uncle served there, I felt I needed to do my part. I volunteered and I made some of the girls in my building do so, too!" Hannah looked around at the pitiful turnout of the dance. "Admittedly, I wish some of the other students were more patriotic. A lot of the students had family serve during the war, but most of them only have negative things to say."

Deciding not to push Hannah into an anti-war tirade, Kent just left it at that. War was a scary thought, and he believed everyone here knew that. It had come so close to home that most people were still denying it even happened. War did that, though, he supposed. Kent knew what that kind of fear could do to a person. When his cousin came back from Anchorage, he was never the same. Kent felt his cousin would never truly adjust to being home again. Despite that, Kent couldn't begin to know how scared Hannah felt. He was never close to his soldier cousin, but Hannah adored her older brother and uncle.

"Kent, are you feeling alright?" Hannah asked, tugging on his arm again.

Shaking his thoughts away Kent looked down at Hannah, who was giving him a worried look. Maybe, if this was some elaborate plot to humiliate him, his life could return to normal. He could return to reading comic books in his room, listening to The Silver Shroud every Friday with Buster, doing his maintenance rounds in peace, and being plain old Kent Connolly. The more he thought about that, the more he realized he didn't want that anymore. It sounded great in his head, but when he thought about not seeing Hannah every day or not thinking about her, it made Kent's stomach turn.

"Hannah, I can't dance." Kent said, finally. "I've only been to a dance hall once in my life and that was b-because my building manager owed a favor to the hall's owner and one of the light fixtures needing fixing. I don't even dance when I'm alone. I would have asked Buster to give me pointers, but he's got two left feet and they're on backwards."

Hannah looked at Kent like a puppy waiting for its food dish to fill. "It's probably for the best." She murmured. "No one is really in a dancing mood right now. They're forcing it. You can tell. I mean, how can anyone really dance with all that's been happening? A lot of weird construction has been happening here on campus and several buildings have been closed or demolished." Hannah and Kent sat down near a row of potted plants, though still in plain sight of everyone. "Some army guys come in and give everyone these weird tests. Some of the questions didn't make sense. There are rumors that they are working on something under the school, which is why there is so much construction going on."

Somewhere, a slow tune came on. Kent recognized the song. Skeeter Davis' "End of the World" played over the now hush crowd. Kent didn't pretend to understand irony, but felt this was pretty spot on for the air of the evening. Kent looked over at the couples paring off to dance to such a sad tune.

"Something is coming." Hannah whispered. "Something is coming and they want us to keep going on, business as usual." Hannah looked away. "How can they expect us to turn a blind eye?" Her voice cracked, and she tightened her grip on her dress. "They talk about another war with China, and building more Vaults for some reason. Do you think that's what all the construction is? I heard they built a vault under a school up in Malden. That's a silly place to put a Vault, right? And what if my brother is called to the front lines again? What if they make Uncle Nate reenlist? Can they do that?"

Kent saw something familiar in Hannah at that moment. Her hang-dog look was the same one he had right before he met her. Kent hadn't realized until that moment how much of an impact she had on his life. He decided he wouldn't let it spread. Kent decided to do something the old Kent Connolly would never do. Though, whether the new Kent Connolly should do this was a matter for debate.

"Hannah Howard…" Kent started, holding out his hand. "…may I have this d-dance?"

The music became a jaunty tune neither recognized. Or maybe they did, but it didn't matter. Hannah just looked up at him. "But you said-"

"It doesn't matter what I said." Kent said, still holding his hand out to her. "All that m-matters is what I do. What _we_ do. If I fall down, break a leg, knock down other people, or if the war comes while we're dancing, then at least we got one d-dance out of it. Until a few weeks ago, all I had in my life was Buster, my job, and the Silver Shroud. I thought that's all I wanted. Then I met you. Now I want more. All the things I didn't realize I was missing out on, I want it all, starting with this dance. Hannah Howard, let's dance. I'd rather look like an idiot for f-five minutes than feel like a one for the rest of my life for not taking a chance."

Before another word could be uttered, Kent found himself tapping his foot to the beat, waiting for Hannah. She soon joined him as the beat became happier. When most of the students were doing their own little nod and shake here and there, Kent and Hannah shimmied to the beat. Hannah and Kent indeed looked like something crazy. Most of the students were wondering if an earthquake was happening only under those two. When Kent took Hannah and twirled her around, he shook his shoulders to no particular rhythm. People were laughing and pointing, but for the first time in his life, Kent didn't care.

After a while, everyone else seemed to get into the spirit of things. To Kent, it was like they were two children on the playground, spinning as fast as they can while holding each other's hands. Whatever was happening outside of this little area, he didn't care. He didn't care if they fell down. He didn't care if everyone laughed. Hannah let go of his hands and watched Kent fly back into a potted plant. He laughed when she did. She shook her hips to the tune. Kent dusted himself of and ran back up to her, taking her waist and dancing alongside her.

When they finally gazed into each other's eyes, it was like seeing destiny. In Hannah's eyes, Kent felt like he could see his future. War be damned, Kent wasn't going to waste his time anymore.

After their moment in the spotlight had ended and they watched everyone else make fools of themselves, Kent and Hannah escaped the festivities and ran to a nearby park. They were laughing like two school children playing hooky and felt like it too. Hannah couldn't keep her excitement contained and she burst into laughter when they found a bench by the waterfront. Neither sat down.

"Kent!" she shouted through bursts of laughter. "That was amazing!"

"Th-that was crazy!" Kent replied, shaking a bit with his laughter. To the old lady walking her dog a few feet away, they probably looked like two loonies that escaped from Parson's and crashed a party. "I don't think I've ever done anything th-that crazy! I d-danced! Well, I did something resembling dancing anyway!"

Hannah jumped into Kent's arms and gave him a big hug. "Oh, Kent! Thank you so much! I was so disappointed when the turn out to the dance was so dismal after all the hard work we put into it, but if you hadn't started dancing, or what resembled dancing, it would have been a bust! Thank you!"

Kent and Hannah stood there, staring into each other's eyes for a bit. The night was young, but so were Kent and Hannah. Kent knew he liked Hannah a lot, but right now, he felt more. Hannah understood him and even danced with him when he looked like an idiot. She never judged him for his anxiety and never nagged him. He figured, once they got serious (if they did), that would change. Kent always wondered why his father didn't seem to mind when his mother nagged him. But now he understood. It didn't matter that Mr. Connolly forgot to take out the trash or was spending too much time listening to the radio, it was that he had someone who cared and loved him enough to try and get him off the couch. For Mr. Connolly, it was Mrs. Connolly. For Kent, it was Hannah.

Since he had already done something stupid tonight, Kent decided to do something so stupid, Hannah would either reciprocate or slap him. Kent leaned forward and kissed Hannah while a nearby radio in someone's window played "Stranger in Paradise" by the Ink Spots. Hannah didn't scream for the cops, she didn't slap him, and she didn't laugh. Hannah kissed back. Her lips were soft, like a Fancy Lad snack cake that had been warmed up. This feeling, this sensation, is something he'd remember for the rest of his life.

It seemed like forever, but it was only a few seconds. Kent didn't want to leave this moment. It was like the episode where the Silver Shroud finally kissed the Mistress of Mystery after ten whole episodes of will they/won't they tension. Kent nearly ripped his hair out at that episode.

When they parted, Hannah smiled and leaned against his chest. The water reflected the moonlight and the lights of the city across the river. Maybe tomorrow wouldn't be so bad. Maybe, all this panic and all this fearmongering was pointless. The future seemed bright and for once, Kent wasn't scared.

They found themselves at an all-night diner not far from the University later that night. Kent knew Buster would be worried and decided to call him from a payphone when he and Hannah finished eating. There were only three other people in the diner with them. One was a student doing some last minute test cramming while nursing a constantly refilled cup of coffee, and the other two looked like men that were about to go in for the night shift somewhere and were grabbing a quick bite.

Kent and Hannah sat in a booth far from all these things. If they hadn't been laughing and carrying on like two crazies about to be taken to Parson's, the waitress would have forgotten they were there. Kent knew this diner well, because he and Buster used to eat here all the time when their parents moved. It was cheap, it was close to the University, and late at night, when the day manager had gone home, the night crew turned the juke box off and turned on the regular radio. It was well known that the night crew liked listening to late night repeats of radio shows to pass the time.

"Oh! Before I forget!" Kent whispered, knowing the waitress was getting tired of coming over and telling them to hush. "I wanted to give this to you." Kent put something wrapped in old newspaper on the table and Hannah opened it. Kent couldn't afford jewelry, but he could give her something that meant a lot to him.

Hannah shouted excitedly and jumped up, holding her gift tightly. The waitress glared at her and she sat back down. "Kent! I love it! I can't believe it! Are you sure?" Hannah asked, standing the Silver Shroud action figure up beside her untouched coffee.

"Y-Yes, Hannah." Kent mumbled. "I wish I could buy you something nicer, but I know you were upset that you didn't get one of those Silver Shroud action figures in time. So, I'm giving you mine. The Silver Shroud means a lot to me. But you mean more."

Hannah smiled, ignoring the radio saying it was doing a repeat of the earlier evening's broadcast and playing the promo for it. Kent did something else at that moment. He put his hand on hers and didn't take his eyes off her. Nothing else in that diner mattered. Nothing else in the world mattered. Tonight, Kent danced with Hannah and tomorrow he'll be sitting with her and her family. Maybe it was time to ask Hannah if she was comfortable taking their friendship to the next level. Kent couldn't wait to tell Buster about this.

 _ **When evil walks the streets of Boston, one man lurks in the shadows. Shielding the innocent, judging the guilty. That guardian is…the Silver Shroud! Today's episode: The Mechanist Unmasked!**_

* * *

 **Hi, hi!**

 **So, should we tell Kent the bad news? Nah, let's let him have one more day…or, at least a day and a half.**

 **I would like to apologize for being about a month or so late with this update. I had some…personal things happen that I'd rather not discuss and it ate up a lot of my free time. That and drama at work and my life yada-yada you don't care. Let's just say my mind has been in a VERY dark place recently. But everything is semi-fine now!**

 **I did some spring cleaning in earlier chapters, fixing spelling mistakes and grammar mishaps. I changed a few things too. For example, Hannah goes to Massachusetts Bay University now, not CIT. I thought I had something there, but I didn't.**

 **Anyone else having uploading problems? I tried uploading an updated chapter the other day and it wouldn't let me. I had to use an older format to upload it. But, whatever works I suppose. I hope they fix that soon.**

 **Ahh, but all good things must come to an end, yes? This story has about two chapters to go, maybe three if I decide to do that epilogue.**

 **So, how did I do? Yes, I know, I'm terrible at writing dancing and fighting scenes, but I did my best! Just ignore that and tell me how I did! Write me a lovely review (or a hateful one, but please keep it clean) and keep this story going!**

 **Read, review, and be merry! (not particularly in that order lol)**

 **Kent Connolly and Fallout belong to Bethesda**


	7. It's All Over

_Silver Lining_

It's All Over…

 _ **Saturday, October 23**_ _ **rd**_ _ **, 2077**_

 _"And now for a brief look at the local weather. This weekend, unseasonably warm temperatures continue with a high of 56. But then we're looking at a cold front coming down from Canada, making it crisp and dry for next week's Halloween festivities. Looking in on next week's forecast, we have a high of 52 on Monday…"_

The radio was on in the living room, but Kent Connolly was too busy fixing himself up in his room to listen. It was way too early to be trying on a suit, but he wanted to make sure he was good and ready for that evening. Kent couldn't think of a more perfect day. To start off, he and Buster were meeting Hannah at Fenway Park to watch the big game. Boston had a strong team this year and there were talks that for the first time since 1918, Boston may have a shot at winning.

After the ballgame, Kent was going with Hannah to Concord, to meet her family. He was happiest about that. Today was turning out to be pretty perfect. No maintenance calls came in, the milk had been delivered, and the suit Kent picked out wasn't too short on him. He decided to match it with his lucky trilby hat, just for the effect. He felt he had a good chance to impress Hannah's family now. He was nervous about meeting them, but he felt confident today.

Confidence was something Kent always lacked. But ever since he met Hannah Howard, confidence was something Kent had an overabundance of. There was nothing that could kill his mood today. He was about to spend the day with the two people that mattered the most to him: Buster, his brother, and Hannah, the object of his affection and the reason Kent felt like a new man.

Kent heard Buster shout from the living room that they were going to be late if he didn't hurry up. Kent put his shoes on and ran to the living room, where Buster was waiting. Kent felt a bit overdressed in his new tan suit but took comfort in seeing Buster in his own suit. Kent wasn't sure why, but casual suits were always worn to big ball games.

"Alright, it took some convincing, but I got a spare ticket for Hannah." Buster said, straightening himself up. "I owe a few favors to the sports editor, but here they are. After the game, we can come back here and you guys can finish getting read. Then you two can head to the Veteran's Hall to meet with her family. I figure, you can take the bus to Concord and maybe Hannah's family can give you two a lift back."

Kent made sure he had everything he'd need for the day. "We really got to get a car, Buster." Kent laughed.

Buster chuckled too. "Yeah, we do. I figure you and I can put some money aside and buy a car maybe early next year if we share the expenses."

The Connolly Brothers laughed as they left their apartment. Kent didn't realize until they were nearing the elevator that they forgot to turn off the radio. Buster waved his worries away, telling his brother they'll start saving up tomorrow. The two laughed and rode the elevator down to the ground floor.

Buster smiled, looking at his younger brother. Kent had grown up so much in the past few weeks, He'd gone from hiding in his room reading comic books to happily wanting to be a part of society now. Buster felt he had Hannah to thank for that.

"Does she know to meet us at Fenway?" Buster asked.

"I called her this morning before you came back from the Bugle." Kent answered, straightening his tie again. "She'll be there. She said she needs to go by her job after the game. She left her suitcase with the clothes she's going to wear tonight in the backroom so she wouldn't have to go back to her building after the game."

Buster only nodded. He'd only been to Hubris Comics a few times since graduating high school and all of those times were with Kent. Normally, it'd be their final stop after doing some errand running in the city proper. "You know where we haven't been in forever?" Buster asked, as they left the elevator and stood in the lobby. "Bar Harbor. I started thinking about it last night after you came home. Remember, that little harbor town up in Maine on Mount Desert Island? Remember when Ma and Pop used to take us there as kids?"

Kent laughed. "Oh yeah, Pop's idea of a f-family vacation. Ma would beg him to take us somewhere else, but we'd always end up in Maine. We'd go for a week each summer, around the time school let out, and attempt to camp and f-fish. Get his 'city kids' out into nature is what Pop always said. I c-can't imagine what made him think a family from the city could camp. I remember Pop getting so frustrated with the tent and finally giving up and then taking us to stay in a hotel. Every summer without fail."

Buster laughed too. "Good times, Kenny, good times. We should go back to Mount Desert Island again. But not camping, I still can't put up a tent. Maybe next summer. Hannah can come with us." Buster gave his brother a teasing look. "That is, if you two haven't eloped to Vegas by then."

Kent's face turned bright red. "Sh-shut up, Buster!" Kent shouted through a laugh. When he told Buster about the kiss the night before, Buster nearly died laughing. He'd been playfully teasing Kent all morning. It was obvious to both brothers that Kent's life was changing. Buster just decided to have a little fun with it.

The Connolly Brothers hadn't noticed Mrs. Glass and little Marlene standing by the doors until they almost ran into them. They waved, but Mrs. Glass didn't seem to notice them. She seemed mad, waiting for another tenant to be finished with the lobby phone. Kent was wondering what Mr. Glass did or forgot about this time. Little Marlene held one of her pony dolls tightly while her mother tapped her foot impatiently and glanced at her watch.

"Looks like Mr. Glass is in the doghouse again." Buster whispered through the side of his mouth as he and Kent left the building. "He was probably supposed to meet them in the lobby and got tangled up in work again." Buster tried not to chuckle at the trouble Mr. Glass was apparently in, but couldn't help it.

Kent looked back and saw Marlene wave to him as Mrs. Glass impatiently dialed a number on the lobby phone. Something cold went through Kent at that moment as Marlene waved to him. Kent wasn't sure what it was, but as he weakly waved back, Kent got the strange feeling that this would be the last time he'd see the Glass Family.

He couldn't explain this feeling to Buster when he tried after getting on the bus. Something in Kent's gut told him something bad was on the way. It was something that ate at him the entire ride to Fenway Park. Kent tried not to think about it. Today was supposed to be a good day. He tried to bring up something else, just to ease the bad feeling away. "Hey, you r-remember that old overcoat Pop used to wear in the winter?" Kent asked his brother.

Buster, who was sitting by the window, was only vaguely aware that Kent has asked a question. "The what?" Buster asked, looking at his brother.

"That old black overcoat Pop used to wear. Did he take it with him when he and Ma moved?" Kent asked again.

Buster shrugged. "I don't think so. I don't see why he'd need it in Nevada. Even at its coldest, a heavy New England overcoat is a bit overkill out there. It might still be in my closet. Why?"

"So, I was thinking…" Kent started. "…about using that old coat and making a costume for Halloween out of it!"

Buster looked at the overly enthusiastic look Kent had. "Why on Earth for?" he asked.

"Well, with a little work, I think I can make it into a Silver Shroud costume!" Kent beamed. "It might need to be re-dyed and patched up, but I figure if I start tomorrow, m-maybe I can have it ready by next week. I saw some flyers around Hannah's school about a Halloween festival happening next week and I think it'd be fun to…" Kent looked at his brother and sighed. "…ahh, forget it. It's a stupid idea anyway."

Putting his hand on Kent's shoulder, Buster did his best to reassure him. "We don't know that yet, Kenny." Buster laughed. "Tell me your idea."

Kent cleared his throat, though he didn't really need to. "I was th-thinking, maybe fixing up that old overcoat, going to that Fallon's Store, the smaller one in Concord, and getting a white scarf, and black hat and going as the Silver Shroud! And maybe…seeing if I can use one of Ma's old dresses to make a Mistress of Mystery outfit for H-Hannah…"

Buster gave out a small chuckle of amusement. "That's a sharp idea, Kenny." He said, after a bit. "Maybe I can go as Rhett Reinhart."

Not sure if this was Buster's idea of teasing or not, Kent sat back and thought about this idea a bit more. The bus stopped a Fenway and Kent's bad feeling came back. If Buster hadn't urged him to get up, he probably wouldn't have stood up. The uneasy feeling stayed as they disembarked and the bus took off. Buster's urging didn't ease him, either. They stopped at a news vendor so Buster could see the article he proofread the night before on the front page.

"So, the Winter case is officially closed. That's justice for you." Buster murmured, looking at the display copy the vendor had up. "Son of a bitch gets a slap on the wrist and a chance to skip town when he wrecked so many lives." Buster's disgust in the Eddie Winter trials made Kent's bad feeling worse and wasn't made better by the radio the vendor had on full volume on a shelf behind the racks.

" _And now a look at sports. Something that is, unquestionably, inescapably, American. I am referring of course, to our great national pastime, baseball._ _This afternoon, right here in the city, Boston's swatting sultans will swing for the fences._ _Led by star pitcher Matt 'The Missile' Murtagh, Boston hopes to defeat Texas, and deliver their first World Series victory since 1918. Turning to economic news of the day. Vault-Tec stock continues to rise as tensions with China reach an all-time high. With the world poised on the brink of war, Vault-Tec is reporting a record number of reservations in Vaults around the country. Vault-Tec announced a continuation of their popular 'Welcome Home' promotion. They report openings are still available in area Vaults 81, 111, and 114. Since debuting Vault 76 last year, in honor of America's Tercentenary, Vault-Tec continues to expand with plans for well over 100 Vaults around the country. And now, our exclusive coverage of the continuing volatile situation with Communist China…_ "

The vendor didn't seem to fazed by the fact that his radio was louder than the loudspeaker for the park. It seemed that way to Kent, anyway. Everything was being drowned out. Kent's gut was telling him something was wrong and once again, everyone in the world was ignoring it. Baseball was a big distraction and it seemed everyone in Boston and its suburbs were going to be at this game today. The biggest distraction from the world in the city. He barely noticed Buster pulling on his sleeve.

"Kenny!" Buster shouted. Kent shook himself from his thoughts and looks at his brother. "You okay, Kent? I was asking you where Hannah was supposed to meet us and you zoned out."

Kent swallowed and tried to relax. Today was a good day. He was spending it with his brother and Hannah, two people he adored. "S-Sorry, Buster. I guess I'm…" Kent trailed off and looked over the still growing crowd. "…I guess I'm just a bit nervous, is all. I got this weird feeling in my st-stomach." Kent cleared his throat, though he didn't need to. "Hannah said sh-she'll be waiting by the statue in front of the stadium."

Buster gave Kent a reassuring smile. He could tell something was bothering his brother. He wasn't sure what, though. "Hey, buck up, Kenny! We got some time before the game. Let's go find Hannah and get something to eat. You guys can help me write the opening lines for my article."

The Connolly Brothers made their way through the crowd, dodging already drunken fans, vendors trying to sell hot dogs, and an overly aggressive t-shirt salesman and found Hannah Howard, leaning against the big statue of a batter in a pink dress and ladies' spectator shoes. She was also wearing a baseball hat. Kent ran ahead of Buster and waved so Hannah could see him. She waved back and ran toward them. She carried her little purse under her arm.

Hannah hugged Kent and said hello to Buster when he caught up. Buster laughed and pointed out her hat. "I bought it so the t-shirt vendor would leave me alone." She laughed. "Are you guys excited? I can't wait to tell my Uncle Nate I went to the big game! He is going to be so jealous!"

The two brothers nodded and Hannah followed them away from the excitement happening around the park. Kent blushed when Hannah took his arm. He wasn't nervous. It felt right. "What are they doing today before the big event tonight?" Kent asked.

"Uncle Nate and Aunt Nora are going to spend the day getting everything ready for tonight, I think. Sometime this afternoon, my parents and my brother are supposed to be arriving from D.C. with my grandparents." Hannah beamed with excitement over the day's events. "I already asked my Uncle Nate if it's okay if you come. He said its fine. I can't wait for you to meet my family, Kent! I think they're going to love you!"

Buster cleared his throat at that moment, mostly to make sure they were paying attention. "We have a few hours until the game starts. Let's go get some grub and we'll discuss tonight's game plan and get some 'fan reactions' for my article." Buster laughed, leading the way.

The trio walked away from the park and the growing crowd to find a place to eat. "I b-bet all of Boston is here today!" Kent shouted when they finally got out of the crowd.

Hannah laughed and let go of Kent's arm. Kent felt a bit sad by this action. "The event at the Veteran's hall starts at seven." Hannah started as they stopped at a crosswalk. "I told Uncle Nate that we'll be in Concord by six. We're going to dinner afterward and of course, you're invited, Kent. After the game, I'll drop by work and pick up my stuff. My boss said I could keep it in the backroom downstairs as long as I pick it up before closing. I want to change before we get to Concord and since they're still not letting me use the upstairs restroom at work, will it be okay if I change at your place?"

Kent nodded, barely listening to Hannah's prattling. This was happening, Kent realized. Soon, in a few hours, Kent will be sitting in the stands with his brother and the girl of his dreams watching Boston win the World Series, then he'll be on a bus to Concord to meet Hannah's family, and then the future kept looking bright from there. He was wondering if this was the day to ask Hannah about taking their friendship to the next level. Maybe now was the time after all. Maybe that feeling he kept getting was anticipation for the biggest thing he'd done up until this point.

If the night before was any clue, Kent knew Hannah wanted to take things further as well. Their kiss in the park after the dance made Kent feel so alive and for the first time, he wasn't afraid of the consequences of anything. Today was the day. After the ball game and Buster had gone to the Bugle to write up his story, Kent would profess his feelings to Hannah. Today was Kent's day. In his mind and heart, nothing could spoil any of what he had planned today.

Kent was knocked once again from his thoughts by the sounds of gasping and a crowd forming near the window of an electronics store. Their television window display had each television tuned into the stone-faced reporter for the Galaxy TV station. Buster, Kent, and Hannah stayed at the back of the crowd as lowered voices made frightened statements and soft murmurs carried over. Hannah once again grabbed Kent's arm, but Kent barely noticed. Buster told Kent and Hannah to stay there and he walked toward the middle of the crowd.

As if by some natural order, the entire crowd went quiet. Hannah held onto Kent's arm tightly, obviously frightened by what they were hearing.

" _Followed by...yes, followed by flashes. Blinding flashes. Sounds of explosions...We're...we're trying to get confirmation...But we seem to have lost contact with our affiliate stations...We do have...coming in...Confirmed reports. I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania…My God._ "

The screen went to the standard stand-by card and about two more seconds of silence followed. Before he could react, Kent watched in horror as the crowd dispersed in different directions. Sirens blared from speakers they couldn't see. Hannah held onto Kent tightly. Buster ran back to them, shouting for both of them to stay close and to follow him. Kent grabbed Buster's arm as he led the way.

In an instant, nothing made sense anymore. It was like someone flipped a switch and the entire world went insane. Everyone who had been enjoying a lovely outing at the baseball field was now an unruly mob running in any direction they could for no real reason. Kent held Hannah's hand tightly, while also holding on to Buster's arm. "We have to get to the Bugle!" Buster shouted over panicked screens and car horns blaring. Buster pushed a way through the panicking crowd, both brothers running as fast as they can.

Overhead, military vertibirds flew, but Kent didn't know where they came from or where they were going. He didn't care. All he cared about was getting to the shelter with Buster and Hannah and surviving this madness. He heard Hannah screaming about being scared and during a moment of clarity, he told her he was here and not to be afraid.

The next thing that happened, Kent felt the world slow down and go silent. A crowd of people rushed by them and in the panicked, screaming mess that had become downtown Boston, Hannah's hand was knocked loose from Kent's. Kent turned around in horror as the only woman he ever loved was separated from him. The crowd pushed her away from him like a wave going out to sea. Kent heard Hannah yell his name and he was sure she heard him yell hers. He reached for her, despite it being no use. Kent watched in horror as the crowd dragged Hannah away, her screams lost among the panic.

"Come on, Kent!" Buster yelled, over the mass hysteria.

Kent tugged on Buster's hand. "Buster! We have to go back for Hannah!"

Buster looked behind for a minute and didn't see Hannah. "We don't have time! We have to go now!" Buster wouldn't listen to anymore of Kent's shouts and protests. People were fighting for hiding places, smashing windows, people weren't people anymore in that instant. The city had become a city of animals. The brothers ran until they heard a rumble and saw flashes in the sky. Buster wasn't about to fight his brother over this matter, so he tugged Kent along, almost dragging him.

" _ALL RESIDENTS SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!"_ shouted a booming voice over loudspeakers. " _ANYONE REGISTERED IN THE VAULT PROGRAM, HEAD TOWARD YOUR DESIGNATED VAULT NOW!"_

The ground was rumbling and shaking, like an earthquake. Buster had a hopeless look in his eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. He looked around and saw a Pulowski Shelter with no one around fighting over it. Buster knew they'd never get to the shelter in time. It was too far of a run. While Kent was yelling about going back for Hannah, Buster knew what he had to do. The shelter would only hold one person. Buster ran to the device and put his money in. It opened with the little jingle. When Kent ran over to see what his brother was doing, Buster shoved him in.

"Kenny, here's the keys to the basement shelter." Buster shouted when the rumbling got louder. He gave Kent the keys and looked around. "There isn't enough room in this big blue can for both of us. But it's alright. Everything is going to be alright. Listen to me and listen to me good, Kenny. You're my kid brother. We've stuck by each other through thick and thin and I said I'd always take care of you. But Kenny, I won't be able to in a minute. When this whole mess passes, go straight to the Bugle and stay there until it's safe to come out."

Kent shook his head. "Buster! W-WAIT!" He saw a lone tear go down Buster's cheek.

"You're my brother, Kenny. I love you. But it's time for you to start taking care of yourself." A few more impact sounds around them and Buster started to slowly close the door. "It'll be hard, but these past few weeks have shown me you have what it takes to survive and be a man. There is good in this world, Kenny. You just have to find it. No matter what happens in this world or the next, I've always got your back."

"BUSTER, NO! I CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU! COME BACK!" Kent shouted as the door finally shut completely.

Kent thought he heard Buster whisper "Good-bye, Kenny" before a massive impact shock shook his shelter. Kent hit his head on the hard steel side. Another impact shock had knocked him out cold. Everything went dark as the screams of civilization ending sang outside.

 _ **Sometime later…**_

" _Thank you for using Pulowski! The first name in budget fallout protection!"_ The little voice said over the chimes and the clicking of the door. _"Your mandatory fallout protection time is up! If the radiation hasn't subsided yet or you'd like a little more time, please exit and deposit the correct change. Feel free to take a complimentary temporary oxygen mask from the dispenser outside."_

Kent felt a rain drop hit him in the middle of his forehead. He woke up and looked around. He was still in the Preservation shelter. It hadn't been a bad dream. The world was over and Buster was probably a singed pile of bones outside. And Hannah…

 _How long was I out?_ He thought, rubbing the feeling back into his legs. _Is it over? Am I dead?_

Rubbing his head, Kent looked up and saw where the leak was coming from. It must be raining outside. He stood up and fought with the door to make it open. He always knew these things were nothing but a scam, but it worked for him, somehow. Other than a massive headache, Kent felt fine. When the door opened, Kent felt the loneliest he had even felt in his entire life. He heard the wind blowing through empty streets and buildings crumbling around him. He wasn't sure what to expect.

While he was relieved he didn't see his brother's charred corpse outside his little shelter, Kent still wondered where Buster had been blown to. Kent coughed a bit and heard his cough echo through the streets. There was a strange green mist about, but it didn't seem to harm him. He didn't think about it immediately. He thought about Hannah and how she was probably a charred pile of bones now, too.

There were faint sounds of artillery going off somewhere, or possibly thunder, he couldn't be sure. Soft rumbles in the ground every so often meant something was still going on somewhere, but the city had somehow survived. Most of the buildings around him were in shambles. Broken glass from windows lay about everywhere, making a soft crunching sound under Kent's feet as he stepped out into this new world.

Kent looked around. The sky was some unnatural shade of green and the clouds were an ominous grey color. The ground around him looked wet, as if it had just stopped raining. He wasn't sure what to make of all of this. Boston was in ruins and the unnatural quiet was almost deafening. Kent sat on what used to be a curb and tried to hold in his tears. He knew what he needed to do now, but he wasn't sure if he had the strength to do it. If Buster were here, they'd be running off to the shelter together.

But Buster wasn't here. Kent didn't have his brother or Hannah anymore. Kent started to think. This was real. The Silver Shroud wasn't going to swoop in and save him. He had to survive.

Everything and everyone Kent ever cared about was gone now. Buster, Hannah, his parents, the Glass Family, everyone was gone. It had happened. All those years in school doing drills and all the propaganda in the news finally hit Kent where it hurt. Kent tried to get his bearings straight. Maybe Hannah had survived, too. He could go looking for her. He wanted to shout her name, but nothing happened. All that came out was a wheeze and tired sobs.

Hannah was gone. Buster was gone. It was all gone.

When he heard nearby gun shots, Kent stood up fast. He wasn't sure who survived or why they were using guns. Kent wasn't about to sit around and find out. He needed to get to the Bugle. He could sit and feel sorry for himself when he was safely in the basement shelter. Buster would want him to survive. He had to. Kent turned around and took one good look at the rubble near the preservation shelter. He wasn't sure if what remained of his brother was under it, but it didn't matter.

"I'll survive, Buster." Kent whispered. "For both of us. For Hannah. For Ma and Pop. Even for Mr. and Mrs. Glass and little Marlene. I'll b-be strong." Kent tried not to cry. "Good-bye, Buster." The echoes of Kent's footsteps reverberated off the fallen buildings as he ran down the crumbled sidewalk. It wasn't that long of a journey to the Bugle building, but anything could be between him and his destination. Kent wasn't sure what to expect, but he knew what he had to do. He needed to survive, now.

Kent Connolly would survive.

 _ **Present Day**_

"Shroud!" shouted Sinjin, as the elevator across the room opened. "I want to talk with you!"

Kent opened his eyes and realized where he was. He was still in the abandoned hospital. He still had Sinjin's gun aimed at his head and Sinjin's boot on his back. It wasn't 2077 anymore. He was back to reality. The reality being that he was still in this hospital and was probably about to die.

 _Well, it's two hundred years late, but death has come for me…_ Kent thought, opening his eyes fully.

"Anyone turns heel, I'm coming after you and your families." Sinjin said as "The Silver Shroud" approached. "And you, Shroud! You step any closer, and we get to see what's inside Kent's head."

The Silver Shroud, or Nora as she preferred, held the silver shooter Kent had given her as she and her loyal "sidekick", Piper Wright, slowly walked into the room. This woman, who had come from one of the Vaults and made waves around the Commonwealth, had been unwittingly recruited by Kent to help in his crusade to fight crime around Goodneighbor. She wore the costume pretty well, despite it being somewhat baggy on her. The hat balanced it out a bit. She wore her warm black hair in a bun under the hat.

"You shield yourself behind an innocent!" The Silver Shroud started, trying her best not to grin so much while talking in the voice she was imitating. Despite this, her voice was powerful and Sinjin's guards seemed to be taking her seriously. "You are craven, Sinjin. And you shall fall before me!"

Obviously aggravated, Sinjin growled. "Don't talk to me like that!" He shouted, pushing his boot harder on Kent's back. Kent grunted a bit, but didn't say anything. "Some of these losers think you're some kind of legend. Like you walked right out of a comic book. But you and I know, you're human. And you're weak. You came here for what? Your little sidekick?"

"I have cut a path through all your thugs!" The Shroud shouted, her booming voice reverberating off the walls. "Who can truly say I am not the Shroud!"

"Don't listen to her men. She's a phony." Sinjin seemed to calm down a bit, but there was anger and frustration building in him. This person, the "Silver Shroud" had mowed down his entire gang and now all that was left was him and the two guards beside him. "What's going to happen is this: I'm going to kill Kent…"

Kent straightened a little when Sinjin said that. Sinjin's boot kept him from standing up.

"…then, we're going to shoot the hell out of you. Nothing's going to be left but paste!" Sinjin was so angry at this moment, drool was coming from the corner of his mouth. "Then, I'm going to Goodneighbor and kill every worthless bastard there. And burn the whole thing down! No one screws with Sinjin!"

The Shroud had to think of something, and fast. If she hesitated for one minute, Kent would be a shot into hamburger. She looked over at the guards, noticing their nervous movements. Sinjin may not have believed she was the Silver Shroud, but his cronies did. She had one shot at this. She couldn't mess this up. The silver shooter would be too messy and she had a chance of hitting Kent. If there was any time her shooting skills would come in handy, it'd be now. She wasn't much of a gunslinger before entering the Vault (seeing as it never really came up outside arcade shooting galleries), but she had to learn fast when she left. Now, it was time to put what she learned to good use.

"I am the instrument of justice and I cannot fall!" She boomed, holding her silver shooter up. Piper reached for her pistol as well, pointing it at the cronies, not Sinjin. Nora liked saying this next line and summoned up the deepest, loudest voice she had. "Death has come for you, evildoer! And I am its Shroud!"

That last statement sent Sinjin over the edge. "Stop talking like that!" he shouted, his patience finally running out.

"It is the Shroud! It really is!" The guard on Sinjin's left shouted, throwing her pipe pistol to the floor. "Screw this!"

Sinjin looked on in disappointment as the guards ran off. They didn't want any part of this anymore. Sinjin, however, didn't have time to voice his disappointment. During the distraction of the guards running away, she switched the silver shooter out for a gun she had picked off the man who kidnapped her child. The moment Sinjin turned around to fire at Kent's head, a bullet went through his own. Right through the forehead and out the back of the head. One shot, and Sinjin fell right next to Kent.

Kent stared at Sinjin's lifeless body next to him. Sinjin didn't have time to suffer. It was an instant kill. Somehow, once again, Kent Connolly had cheated death. He was starting to feel like that Courier he had heard about from one of the traders claiming to have been out west. He was too surprised at what just happened to see Nora and Piper run up to him. Piper untied his wrists and helped him up.

"Slowly, Kent." Piper said, helping Kent to his feet.

Nora put her gun away and looked at Kent. "Kent, are you alright?" she asked.

Shaking, Kent just stood there. He wasn't sure what to say. He was two seconds away from being another stain on the floor and now here he was, alive and well. Almost well, anyway. For two hundred years, Kent had this fantasy of what crime fighting was like. He had seen the world at its best and its worst. He just wanted to do some good and do his part to help people. But now, he was tired. His leg was banged up pretty badly, and he wasn't sure whether or not he had wet himself from fear.

The realization that he almost became raspberry jam finally hit Kent as Nora and Piper helped him out. The echoes of the wind blowing through broken windows into the empty hospital made Kent feel nostalgic, but not enough to stop and listen. He had enough. He was done. Kent knew Hancock would want to talk to him, and he figured after all the trouble he'd caused, Kent owed him that much.

Time was a funny thing. One minute, Kent was about to see a ballgame with his brother and the girl of his dreams, the next he was sitting on the floor of a hospital's basement about to be shot point blank. It was strange how time didn't seem like a straight line, but went all over the place. As a Ghoul, Kent had all the time in the world. But he'd give it all up just for one more glance into the magic blue eyes of Hannah Howard. Or one more evening of listening to the radio with his brother. Or even a quiet afternoon fixing little Marlene's little pony toys. And despite being carried out by two caring people, Kent felt, deep down, that he truly had nothing anymore.

Time was the one thing Kent Connolly had. Time, and the Silver Shroud. And he didn't want either if it meant being alone without any hope left.

* * *

 **Hi, hi everyone!**

 **What's this? An update so soon?! Let me explain my insane writing process. Sometimes, I see the ending of the story and write it out first. Then, I try to see how to get to that ending. I wonder if other writers do this. This chapter had been written months ago. I just finished it up, did some adjustments where appropriate, and here it is!**

 **Before you ask, no this isn't the last chapter. I have a few more tricks left up my sleeve. What types of tricks, you ask? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out. I'd give you more but it's about one in the morning here and I need to get some sleep.**

 **So, how did I do? Was this chapter good? Sad? Let me know! I love reading reviews and the more reviews I get; the more story you get! It's win/win, if you ask me! So, stay tuned for the shocking conclusion (and maybe an epilogue, I haven't decided yet) of "Silver Lining!' Same Luna Peachie time, same Luna Peachie channel!**

 **Read, review, and be merry!**

 **Kent Connolly and Fallout belong to Bethesda.**


	8. Timeless Value

_Silver Lining_

Timeless Value

Nora had a feeling she'd find him in his backroom. After their little chat with Hancock, Kent didn't seem to be up for anymore conversation. She decided to give him a few days to recuperate, not just from the leg injury, but from everything in particular. She and Piper had returned after about a week, and Nora's heart sank when her Pip-Boy didn't pick up on the Silver Shroud radio station. She checked multiple times but nothing buzzed.

"Poor Kent." Nora said, as she and Piper approached the Goodneighbor gates. She finally stopped checking for a signal and looked over at her companion. "He must really be taking it hard. Though, I guess I shouldn't expect someone to go through what he did and come out with a sunny disposition."

"Poor schmuck was just trying to make the world a better place." Piper replied. "Too bad the world didn't want what he had in mind." Piper didn't sound as heartbroken about it as Nora was. But then again, Piper knew what the world actually was. Though it was Piper that urged Nora to give Kent a week to recover, she didn't seem to have much faith in the idea of checking on him.

Nora just sighed and walked into Goodneighbor with Piper following right behind. Piper didn't like Goodneighbor and Nora didn't blame her. Despite its rough looking exterior, Goodneighbor was a pretty decent place. Considering the rest of downtown Boston tried to kill them less than a few minutes ago, it still wasn't saying much.

"I just want to check on him, make sure his leg has healed. He had the right idea, just not the right way to implement it. You read the comic books, you listen to the radio shows, and back in my time, you watched television. But most people don't see the real work that goes into being a hero. It's not all flashy costumes, damsels in distress, and shaking hands with the police chief." Nora tapped her Pip-Boy a few more times and then stopped. She looked up at the sky when a raindrop landed on her Pip-Boy screen. "Is it ever NOT raining or overcast in Goodneighbor?"

Piper only shrugged. The two women walked past the two shops by the entrance and took the alleyway toward the Memory Den. They didn't look too surprised to see Hancock up on his balcony overlooking the small court area with the two benches. He normally perched himself there to think. Nora was wondering if he was thinking about the Sinjin Incident, too. But knowing Hancock, he was probably just winding down from a jet high and needed the fresh air. If one could truly call the air in the Commonwealth Wasteland fresh, that is.

"You think Hancock already checked on him?" Piper asked, hoping it was an excuse to go.

"I'm pretty sure Hancock meant to, but then the chems wore off." Nora teased, looking up at the ghoul mayor in his three-cornered hat just watching the clouds go by. Nora liked Hancock and had to admit he was pretty handy in a fight, but she wasn't a big fan of his chem use. At least he had a steady system. Their friend, Cait, just seemed to take whatever she found whenever she had it.

They made their way to the Memory Den and walked inside. They were surprised to see Irma, the proprietor, standing outside Kent's shut door. Despite first impressions, Irma was actually a caring woman and always made sure Kent ate and got plenty of sleep. She was almost motherly when she wanted to be. "Kent, darling, a trader dropped off a pretty decent looking box of Sugar Bombs at Daisy's and I know how much you like Sugar Bombs. I had one of those drifters that stand outside her shop drop it off. It's waiting out here whenever you get hungry."

Irma looked over and smiled, seeing Nora and Piper. "I take it he's still recovering?" asked Nora, as she and Piper followed Irma to the chaise lounge on the small stage.

"You can call it recovering all you want, sweety." said Irma, a slight hint of venom in her statement. "I call it moping. Ever since he got back from Hancock's place, he's done nothing but lay on that bed. He won't eat, he won't work on the loungers, and three have already broken down. I had to stop Amari from breaking down his door to get him out. The door is locked tight and I lost the keys to the spare rooms long ago. Normally, I wouldn't care if he wants to spend all day in that lounger of his, but we had a deal that we let him stay here and keep that collection and his lounger as long as he fixes the machines when they break down."

Nora knew Irma often put on a Devil-May-Care attitude, but deep down she and Piper knew Irma cared deeply about Kent's wellbeing. "Besides Doctor Amari nearly breaking in, has anyone else tried to get him out of that room?" Piper asked.

Irma nodded. "A few. Hancock came by a few days ago to check on him. Daisy came by this morning, said she was worried because he hadn't come by to see if any ratty old comic books popped up in the trader shipments. Even MacCready uprooted himself from that bar and came to see if Kent was alright. Says he needed his gun repaired and didn't want to waste caps buying a new one. But I think he just misses the Silver Shroud broadcasts."

"Wow, the support is just flowing." Piper murmured with obvious sarcasm.

Irma rolled her eyes and picked at the feathers on her right sleeve. "I love Kent…in a professional way, mind you. I let him have that room, his own personal lounger, and I let him do that radio show, but locking himself in that room is where I draw the line. If he wants to drown his sorrows in a memory, that's his business, but I can't stand to see that door shut, knowing I can't do anything to help him. He just lays in there and moans all day and all night. It's more heartbreaking than it is annoying. You ladies wouldn't happen to know anyone named Hannah, would you?"

Nora thought for a moment. "I had a niece named Hannah before the war. I'm not sure what happened to her after the bombs fell."

Irma remembered that Nora had been in some kind of stasis in the Vault she used to be in. "He keeps moaning, 'Hannah, I'm sorry I let you down. Hannah Howard, please forgive me'."

Nora's eyes widened. "Hannah Howard?"

Piper looked at Nora. "Howard? Isn't that your last name, Blue?" she asked.

Nodding, Nora suddenly remembered something. She'd be kicking herself for not remembering it earlier, it would have saved them the upcoming trip. She told Irma to keep trying to get Kent out of that room, but stall anyone who decides to take drastic measures to get in. She said she had to go do something and would be back before night time. Irma said she'd do her best, but also noted that Amari promised to come back with an axe from KL-E-0's store before sundown. Nora promised to hurry and ran out with Piper in tow.

True to her word, Nora and Piper returned by sundown. They returned with a beat up suitcase. Irma stood there, with Amari looking on as well. Hancock was also there, though he only came by as back-up in case Amari decided to stay true to her word of tearing down the door. He wasn't surprised to see the door still closed tight when he walked up. He was surprised to see Nora and Piper come in not long after him with a suitcase.

"Alright, I'll bite." said Hancock, after a long silence. "What's in the case? An axe to tear down the door?"

Hancock laughed, but Nora didn't. "We had to fight a horde of ferals for this, so if this doesn't work, you're welcome to break the door down." Nora knocked on the door softly. She could hear movement, and was comforted to know that Kent wasn't dead. "Kent!" she shouted. "It's Nora. I know about Hannah."

The little crowd hushed at that moment. "Who the hell is Hannah?" Hancock whispered to Irma. Irma only shrugged.

A few minutes seemed like an eternity. The doorknob clicked and turned, the door opening slightly. Kent peered one eye out the door and a soft sigh could be heard. Nora tightened her grip on the beat up luggage handle. The door opened more and Nora stepped in with Piper not far behind. Hancock stopped Irma from following.

When Piper walked in, she shut the door behind them. Kent went back to his bed, but only sat on the edge. "How do you know about Hannah?" he asked. He sounded like he was getting defensive. "I n-never told you about her."

Piper answered this one. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Irma said she could hear you moaning the name Hannah Howard over and over for the last few days."

"She's worried about you, and so are we." Nora wanted to take Kent's hands, but felt the action might not be appropriate given the situation.

"So, Kenny, you want to enlighten us before Blue shows you what we nearly blew up an old comic book store for?" Piper asked, scooting closer to the bed.

Kent sighed. "While I was trapped in that hospital, I tried to keep myself calm by thinking of all the trouble I'd caused and ordering each event in my head. I ended up thinking about my life up until then, and almost instantly, I thought about the only person other than my brother that truly cared about me. Her name was Hannah Howard and besides the Silver Shroud and my brother, she was the only other person that understood me. When we met, our time together, the last time I saw her..."

Nora looked close to tears, but she only nodded. "Please, continue…" she said, as if she knew the story already.

Kent nodded and tried not to look them in the eye. "She worked at Hubris Comics before the b-bombs fell. She had the prettiest blue eyes and her smile lit up a room. When I was w-with her, it felt like we were the only two people in the world. The day the b-bombs fell, we were on our way to Fenway, to see the big game. She invited me to come with her to see her uncle give a speech at the Veteran's Hall in Concord and I was so nervous. When the announcement came that the big ones were falling, we ran for the shelter. We were separated from Hannah in the crowd. I wanted to go b-back for her, but there wasn't enough time. The last time I saw her, it was like she was being carried out to sea by a big wave. She was r-reaching for me and calling my name…"

Kent reached under his mattress and pulled out a dirty framed photo. He handed it to Nora. The picture was of two young men, one taller than the other. The taller one had shaggy looking hair and wore a hat just like Kent's. It appeared to be taken at some sort of party. This photograph was among the things Kent found when the searched the Boston Bugle building the first few years. It somehow survived on Buster's desk, barely damaged. Kent chuckled, knowing he'd finally be able to tell his story to someone who was legitimately listening.

"My older brother, Buster, worked as a reporter for the Boston Bugle. He and some coworkers made up a shelter in the Bugle's unused basement when we didn't get accepted into one of those Vaults. After hearing about what happened to you, I'm kind of glad we didn't, now. He d-died making sure I was safe. I think about him every day, just like Hannah. I spent y-years in that shelter before I had to leave. The building was starting to collapse. I took what I could and left. By then, I knew I was sick. My hair started falling out, and my skin started looking weird. I covered myself in bandages for a while to keep people from thinking I was some kind of m-m-monster. Eventually, I stopped trying to hide it. I found a traveling group of Ghouls and stayed with them for a few decades. Made my way as a handyman whenever we stopped at different settlements. Trading, salvaging, you know how it is. We were salvaging around in the old Galaxy News building before the G-Gunners took it over. That's where I found those Silver Shroud holotapes. I was only able to grab the last few episodes before the Gunners tried to kill us. The rest I got from traders that scavenged affiliate radio stations, but they need to be repaired before I can air them. We tried to get into Diamond City to get some supplies for our long trip toward the Capitol, but by then, McDonough was mayor. My group made its way to Goodneighbor, just as Hancock was making his inarguable 'Of the People, for the People' speech. I stayed behind when the others in the group left. I guess they didn't see this place as home. I did. I found out about the Memory Den…"

Nora decided not to force Kent to continue. Nora sat beside Kent on the bed and opened the suitcase. Kent's eyes widened. He recognized these articles of clothing. His heart started pounding like a deathclaw on jet. He started to reach for the contents, but stopped halfway. The blue dress and orange shoes on top were a dead giveaway.

"Hannah Howard was my niece." Nora started, letting Kent have the suitcase. Nora cupped her hands in her lap and sighed. "She was the daughter of my husband's oldest brother. She used to babysit for us before the bombs fell. She was a bridesmaid at mine and Nate's wedding." Nora giggled, though it was obvious she was holding back tears. "Our entire family was going to be at that event in Concord where Nate was giving a speech. Even our nephew, her brother, had gotten leave just to come up from D.C. to watch the speech."

Nora looked over at Kent, who had placed his hands on the dress. She could feel his pain, because she felt it every day. Nora knew that, despite all the new friendships and relationships she's gained since waking up over 200 years in the future, she'd never truly get over Nate's death. In rare moments alone, Nora sometimes felt the weight of knowing her entire family was gone. She often thought this was why she sympathized with most Ghouls.

"The last time we spoke to her, she seemed so happy, calling the night before everything happened. Nate talked to her, said he could barely get a word out and told her to slow down and catch her breath before she fainted. She asked if it was okay if she brought her new _boyfriend_ to the big speech the next night." Nora chuckled a bit when Kent sat up straight.

Kent didn't blink. He looked at Nora, not wanting to believe what he just heard. "B-boyfriend?" he asked, not believing it himself.

"For weeks, she went on and on about this guy she met, but she never told us his name. At first, we thought she was making him up, but after everything you just told me…" Nora smiled a bit. "It's comforting to know she was talking about you and not some rude, biker thug with a million tattoos."

Kent rummaged through the suitcase a little more. He saw a pocket on the lid and peered inside. He reached in and picked out two things he thought he'd never see again. The Silver Shroud action figure he gave her the night before the world ended and the photo-booth pictures they took the week before. Kent's heart was pounding, now. "How did you know where to f-find this?" He asked.

"I remember my niece saying she got a part-time job at a comic book store on Newbury Street. First time I went into Hubris for the costume, it didn't cross my mind that this was the store she worked at. The night before the bombs fell, she called to confirm the next day's plan with us. She also said was going to change into her favorite outfit before coming to Concord and she put her suitcase in the backroom of her work so she could change before the speech." Nora smiled, holding back the tears from the memories. "That girl, I swear, she loved that blue dress and loved wearing it. Then she asked if she could bring her new boyfriend so he could meet the family. Of course, Nate said yes." Nora giggled again, obviously holding back sniffles. "I remember Nate saying; 'We finally get to meet Hannah's mystery boyfriend. I hope he's a nice kid'. I'm glad to see you were. And still are, Kent. I don't know what happened to her after the bombs fell. Part of me hopes that she got somewhere safe and lived a full and productive life afterward. And even if she perished that day, I hope her last thoughts were of you and all the happy times you two had together."

Noticing a small bulge in the pocket, Kent reached in again. It was a holotape with the words _Diary 10/22/77_ written on it. Kent looked at Nora, who just shrugged. Kent handed it to her and Nora placed the holotape in her Pip-Boy's cassette deck. What came next made Nora tear up and Kent's mouth go dry.

" _Audio diary for…October 22."_ It was Hannah's voice; soft and lyrical, though she sounded like she was winded from running up a few flights of stairs. Hearing her voice for the first time in over two hundred years was like hearing someone from across the gulf of death. There was a song playing in the background of the recording, which Nora recognized as "Strangers in Paradise" by the Ink Spots. _"Tonight was amazing! I was so scared about taking Kent to that dance, but I knew he could do it! He just needed a little nudge. And if I can get him to dance with me at a silly university charity event, then I can introduce him to my family tomorrow with no problem. Kent is such a sweety. I can't believe he kissed me tonight. It was so wonderful. Seeing my roommate come in from bad dates, I didn't think guys like Kent existed. But they do. Kent has so much potential and I think we can have a good future together, no matter what happens. I called Uncle Nate a few minutes ago to confirm tomorrow's game plan and everything is set. I can't wait for the family to meet my boyfriend! I'll call Kent in the morning."_

Kent held up the photo-booth pictures as the tape played, not sure how either item survived all these years. There she was, in black and white, with her head on his shoulder. Kent showed it to Nora, who almost started crying seeing her niece smiling in the picture. Listening to the recording and looking at the pictures made Kent feel like she was talking to him. When the tape ended, Kent sputtered a sad chuckle.

"Kent, the world is screwed up, I won't lie about that." Nora started, letting him have the suitcase with its contents. "And though it may not seem like it sometimes, there are good people out there trying to rebuild and keep hope alive. You had an idea to help people and you saw it through, which is more than most people do."

"Don't think you're the lone rider on this, Kenny." Piper chuckled. "Remember, it was me and Blue that went trudging all over the Commonwealth looking for you. Who else would have done that? People that care about you, that's who. When Irma told us you'd been kidnapped, we bee-lined it right to where they'd taken you. You've got friends, Kent. They have a funny way of showing it, but they love you and only want to see you safe and happy."

Kent nodded and held the blue dress close to his chest. "Th-Th-Thank you for this." Kent said, his voice warbling a bit. "You don't know what all this means to me. I never wanted to forget her face, and now I won't." Kent stood up and walked over to a small box. It seemed to contain thumbtacks. He took one out and thumbtacked the photo-booth pictures to the wall above his radio set up. He then put the picture of him and his brother on the same table that contained his makeshift radio station. "You can tell Irma and Doctor Amari I'll get started fixing their machines tomorrow morning, first thing. I have a lot of stuff to clean up, and I'll do it, but right now…I need to be alone a little while longer."

Nora and Piper nodded and started to leave. They gave Irma and Doctor Amari the good news and walked with Hancock out of the Memory Den.

Hancock seemed satisfied. Despite appearances, he liked order and the order had been somewhat restored. "Small world, ain't it?" he asked as he walked with Nora and Piper to Goodneighbor's gate.

"What do you mean?" Nora asked.

Hancock's voice was normally calm and melodious, with the signature ghoul rasp. And today was no different. By his tone, it was obvious he had been listening at the door. "How things seem to work out for you in the end, you know? You just happen to be the aunt of the girl Kenny-boy's been pining over for the last 200 years. What are the odds?"

Not liking his tone, Nora got defensive. "If you think I'd drag out sad memories just to get someone out of a room, you're wrong. Hannah Howard _was_ my niece."

Hancock chuckled, stopping at the gate with the two women. "Alright, alright, don't get your Vault-issued panties in a knot. In the end, Kent's happy, Ol' Irma's happy to get her machines fixed, and Doc Amari is happy too, I guess. I don't think I've ever seen her smile. Things will return to what counts for normal around here and once again, it's all thanks to you."

Nora rolled her eyes and left with Piper. She wanted to get back to Diamond City before the super mutants that roamed the city regrouped and they had a long walk ahead of them. Piper couldn't wait to start writing about this for her next article. A Publick Occurrences exclusive interview with The Silver Shroud herself and the first-hand account of a daring rescue from the hands of the ruthless Sinjin! She can see the issues flying out of Nat's hands.

"Blue?" Piper looked up at Nora after a long silence. "Are you going to be okay?"

Nora shrugged. "I'll be fine, Piper." She murmured. "I guess it'd be silly of me to hope Hannah or any of my extended family survived."

Piper decided not to press that point. She knew the Pre-war days were a touchy subject for Nora. She decided to change the subject and thought about something. "Kent's a ghoul." Piper said, pointing to the gathering rainclouds above. "Do you think his brother might have become one, too? I mean, there might be a chance he's alive somewhere."

Again, Nora shrugged. "If he did become a ghoul, I doubt he had time to enjoy it. A direct contact blast would have vaporized him. The only reason most ghouls are ghouls is because they were exposed to the radiation after the bombs or were in a low lying area and didn't get a direct hit. That's the only way I can see it."

Time was a funny thing, indeed. One minute, Nora was a housewife getting her family ready for the day, the next she was a wasteland wanderer shooting mutated monsters and fighting for whatever was considered the greater good now. Before the bombs fell, Nora felt there weren't enough hours in the day. But she had all the time in the world now. The world wasn't going anywhere.

Nora looked at her Pip-Boy, looking for the map function to find a safe route through the densest part of the ruined downtown. Piper looked over at Nora and saw a smile creep across her face. Nora's eyes became watery as she switched the radio on.

"Blue, a little traveling music, if you please!" Piper joked. Nora laughed and the two walked around the rubble and damp destruction of Boston to a familiar broadcast.

" _ **When evil walks the streets of Boston, one man lurks in the shadows. Shielding the innocent, judging the guilty. That guardian is…the Silver Shroud!"**_

* * *

 **Hi, hi again! For some reason, it's always raining when I go to Goodneighbor. I don't think it's a bug, I just think I always show up at the wrong time.**

 **Who's been busy getting the last few chapters ready for you? This lady, right here! Luna Peachie here, with not quite the final chapter. I decided to go ahead and do the epilogue, which will probably be up by next week.**

" **But Luna Peachie!" I hear you cry. "How are you getting all these chapters out so fast when you literally went silent for about a month?"**

 **Well, curious and oddly nosey individual, I'll tell you! Sometimes, I see the ending of the story before I see the beginning or even the middle. Why? I don't know. A lot of the stuff I've submitted to this site happen in this manner. When I see the ending, I usually write it out. Then, I write accordingly to get to that ending. Sometimes, the ending stays. Sometimes, if I have an idea for a story that I want to implement, I tweak it where appropriate. Endings I write are normally not final endings. It's mostly just a goal to get to.**

 **I like writing fan fiction because it makes me feel like I can add to a story. Fallout has a lot of potential, but it's difficult to write about because it has deep-seated lore and the fans aren't bashful about reminding you about one slip. It's not a bad thing, but it's frustrating. Writing a mostly Pre-war setting is difficult because there isn't much lore to go on. You can only assume what life was like based on your surroundings. Billboards, holotapes, old advertisements on the side of some buildings, ghouls, etc. It's hard to have fun when you have such strict guidelines to follow. You'd think that'd be the exact opposite of fun, but if you're resourceful, you find a way to give it a little pizazz.**

 **So, how did I do? Let me know in a review and I'll get the epilogue out much faster! We writers depend on reviews, that way we can give a better reading experience to the viewer. If you think it's good, let us know! Don't be bashful, we don't bite! Well, I don't, anyway. Sometimes, writers get discouraged without feedback because it makes them think their story isn't good enough, even if it has a ton of faves and follows. We want to know how we did! Don't just fav and follow, review as well!**

 **Read, review, and be merry!**

 **Kent Connolly and Fallout belong to Bethesda.**


	9. Epilogue

_**Silver Lining**_

Epilogue

One more screw tightened, one more valve in place, and one more hose patched. Kent Connolly had finally finished his back list of repairs for the memory loungers. The loungers were up and running and business could continue at Goodneighbor's Memory Den. Forlorn clients could return and drown their sorrows in something stronger than a drink from The Third Rail.

Kent had a lot of work ahead of him still if he wanted to get back on Irma's good side. It wasn't that she was mad at him. Irma could never stay mad at Kent for long. Of all the idiotic things he's done in that room, this one had to take the cake. But still, Irma found herself soften to him. She understood what longing for something that would never be again could do to a person. She had seen it on the monitors of the loungers of many a Ghoul, and even felt it herself at times.

After he finished fixing the wobbly leg on Irma's chaise lounge, Kent felt a deep sense of pride go through him. All of his back work was done. It reminded him so much of his time working maintenance in his apartment building before the war. That might have been why he never complained when Irma stirred him from a peaceful slumber in the wee hours of the morning when a late night client's lounger broke or when the ancient plumbing in Doctor Amari's lab sprang a leak.

Irma smiled when Kent put the last of his tools away. She was considering this question, hoping it wasn't in bad taste to ask so soon. It had been about a week since Kent finally emerged from his room and started back to work, but she knew how sensitive he could be.

"Good work, Kent." Irma said, in her deep, sultry voice. "Are you feeling any better now, dear?"

Kent stood up and sighed, but he still smiled. "For a guy that's had his dreams crushed, been kidnapped by r-raiders, had his knee banged up, and nearly shot in the head, I think I'm doing pretty good."

Irma played with the feathers at the end of her left sleeve. Kent still stood there, he had a feeling she wanted to ask more. Irma cleared her throat. "I've noticed you haven't been in your lounger lately. Amari thinks it might be broken. Is it?"

Of course, this was a silly question. Irma had Amari put a special lock on his lounger when he was out fixing another lounger. Irma felt a week would be good time to get his head straight, and even though the week was up and Amari took the lock off, Kent's lounger still remained cold.

Kent shook his head. "No, it's not. I just haven't been using it lately." Kent faced Irma and gave her a sad smile. "I've learned a few things from that whole f-fiasco with Sinjin and the Silver Shroud. In the loungers, you can relive the past, but you can't change it. Sure, I can get in my lounger, I can think of the old days, and feel happy for a little bit. But I can't change it. If I could, I'd h-hug my brother one more time and thank him for always having my back. Or I'd give Hannah one more k-kiss while I stared into her beautiful blue eyes. But I can't do those things. I can't shake my brother's hand or hold Hannah in my arms. I can't bring them back. But I know they're still with me in one form or another. And I know neither one would want me feeling sorry for myself. My brother, Buster, told me I had to survive, and even though I did, along the way I forgot how to live. I wanted other people to live my life for me while I drowned my sorrows in a dream. It's not fair to the people I care about. You, Doc Amari, the Shroud, and everyone else. I can't just merely survive anymore. I have to live."

Irma nearly teared hearing him say that. She took out a dirty silk handkerchief and dotted the bottoms of her eyes. Make-up was hard to come by, and she didn't want hers to run. "Oh, Kent, you big sweety." Irma cooed, giving him a short hug. "Some people never learn that lesson, which is why they keep coming back here and why I keep increasing the price. Speaking of which, Amari and I think you've earned a small raise for all the hard work you've done recently. And though she's against it, we've also decided to let you have an extra hour in your lounger from now on when you're done with your daily duties."

Kent smiled, thanked Irma, and went to his room. Irma crossed her arms and sat back down on the lounger. She remembered the day he walked in with that group of ghouls looking for work. He seemed amazed by the technology behind the memory loungers and Irma was happy when he told her the repairs were surprisingly simple. She looked at Kent, with his bag overflowing with old comic books and ads ripped off buildings and a box of busted holotapes under one arm and knew he'd be sticking around. Irma often thought she regretted letting him stay in the side room with the broken lounger she could never get fixed. But he did such good work, she had to get him to stay when his traveling companions left. She couldn't afford not to. Irma never thought she'd come to care about Kent so much. If she wasn't in such a need for a handyman, she would have thrown him out when he tried to get some extra time in the lounger.

In his room, with the door closed, Kent sat on his bed. Kent decided not to do a broadcast tonight. He turned his little set-up loop off and tried to relax. He thought about the memory lounger he'd talked Irma into letting him have but for the first time since he repaired it and set it up in his room, the lounger didn't look appealing at all. It had gotten quiet and Kent could hear a storm starting outside. He had promised Irma that once he scrounged enough materials, he'd fix the leaks in the roof. He had his other radio tuned to Diamond City Radio for once and was listening to a slow crooning number.

Kent held his knees close after slipping off his shoes. He looked up at his radio, with the picture of him and Buster sitting on top. His pictures of him and Hannah were now taped to the frame. Kent picked up the picture and smiled down at it. One good thing about being a Ghoul, he noted, was that he no longer needed haircuts. He had avoided it so much before the war. He looked at his pictures with Hannah. Her smile, her hopeful eyes, everything.

"Hannah…" Kent started. "…I think about you and Buster every day. It may not mean much now, but I miss you. I got so lost in trying to be the hero I wanted to be that I couldn't make myself think about you when I was in the loungers. No, that's too convenient. Amari and Irma see everything in the loungers. I guess I wanted to keep you all to myself. The world knows about how bad I screwed up recently and how much of a doofus I can be. But to you and Buster, I could be anything. One of the b-best things to happen to me was meeting you. Wherever you are, please be at p-peace. And know that I still love you, even after all these years. One of these days, I won't be able to cheat death anymore. My number will come up, and then all three of us will be together again. But until then, I've decided to not just survive, but to live. For you, for me, for Buster. For everyone that meant something to me in the past."

With the night came the rain. The rain would wash away the dust and in the morning, the sun would shine. Kent was content with this. Kent hugged his picture and laid back on his bed. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He didn't need a memory lounger to remember her face. He didn't need one to remember his brother. The good times, the bad, and the worst, all inside Kent's head where it belonged. His memories were his own.

Maybe, deep down, he realized he didn't need the Memory Loungers anymore. Or the Silver Shroud, for that matter. Maybe he didn't have to rely on costumed crusaders in capes with fancy weapons to swoop in and rescue him. Kent had survived over two hundred years, maybe he can go another two hundred without something going completely wrong.

Perhaps, Kent Connolly; Ghoul, comic book enthusiast, universal handyman, and radio host could be his own hero for a change. It sometimes takes nearly dying to realize one's true potential and Kent knew his.

Maybe this entire debacle had a silver lining after all…

* * *

 **And that, my loves, was "** **Silver Lining** **".**

 **Written with love by Luna Peachie.**

 **Read, review, and be merry.**

 **Kent Connolly and Fallout belong to Bethesda.**


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